catch me before my heart slips away
by PrincessVenture
Summary: The heart is a fickle thing. / In which Ally has a new boyfriend, Austin meets a new girl, and Ally has to catch him before Auslly slips away forever. Set after Hunks & Homecoming. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey, everyone. So, technically this isn't my first A&A piece, since I deleted a multi-chap-in-progress that I lost all motivation to finish a while back. But I definitely intend to update this one frequently. I got the idea for this fic based on some leaked stills and clips of episodes to come. It's basically my guess as to what's going to happen in the Auslly arc this season, and some of these scenes come straight out of the leaked footage with very, very minor tweaks from me, so…

***This fic contains spoilers for Season 3.***

Disclaimer: I do not and never will own _Austin & Ally_. I also do not own most of the story line of this chapter because the basis is what I extrapolated from footage leaked from "Hunks and Homecoming."

* * *

A couple weeks ago, Ronnie Ramone had stopped by at Sonic Boom and asked Ally to clear up her schedule and make room for songwriting sessions with some new artist he wanted her to collaborate with.

The new artist was a guy by the name of Gavin…something or another. Austin hadn't bothered to learn his surname, seeing as the guy was presenting himself as some kind of easygoing "everybody's best friend" type of guy. At least he seemed to be, judging from the interviews that Team Austin had pulled up on the internet when they investigated him. (Ostensibly, it was to make sure that Ally wouldn't be working with a serial killer, though Austin couldn't deny hoping this new guy would be unattractive and dumb and totally not Ally's type. Or, barring that, at least tone-deaf and badly in need of Auto-Tune and only famous because he was mildly attractive. That would work, too.)

Austin remembered thinking, "Is this guy for real?" at one particular interview, in which Gavin had told Grace from _EntertainMe Tonight_ that he believed in soul mates and true love and had never dated anyone before because he was saving his first kiss for "the One."

And when asked who his celebrity crush was, he had replied without hesitation, "Ally Dawson."

The reveal had hit Austin like a cannonball in the gut.

_Of course_. Ally's career had started almost a year ago. And she was gorgeous and smart and amazingly talented and _pretty much the definition of_ _perfect_. Of _course_ guys were going to notice. But that didn't mean Austin didn't feel he still had dibs on her. And it certainly didn't mean he would be okay with random guys ogling the girl he'd been so sure he would win back some day.

To make matters worse, Gavin's looks were certainly not _unattractive_. Ally had run into him once or twice at Ronnie's studio, and she had admitted that he was cute and seemed nice. And Trish, Dez, and even Carrie had agreed that Gavin was a "total hunk." It was like, in hoping for the worst to not be the case, Austin had somehow willed it into being. All he needed now was for Gavin to have an amazing voice, and then Austin could kiss Ally and their relationship goodbye. (Or not, seeing as she would probably be too busy making out with Gavin, and it's not cool to kiss someone else's girlfriend, even if the kiss is meant as a promise to never kiss her again.)

* * *

Austin had spent a week tossing and turning in bed at night, trying to work up the nerve to ask Ally out again. If he won her back, then she wouldn't be swayed by Gavin's silly romanticism, right?

Unfortunately, this was _Ally_, and no declaration of his unwavering feelings would do her justice. Serenading her wouldn't work either because he only had a week before Ally would start working with Gavin, which translated to only a week to write an awesometacular love song to sweep her off her feet. Austin's songs—that is, ones he wrote on his own—tended to be hit-or-miss, and he was very reluctant to take that risk. It would create a potentially very awkward situation if the song turned out terrible and Ally didn't have feelings for him anymore.

And if he had to hear her give him the "we can't be together because it'll get in the way of our careers" speech _one more time_…

So in the end, Austin's sleepless week of worrying and brainstorming came up empty.

* * *

A week after Ronnie's announcement, Gavin showed up at Sonic Boom to start his collaboration with Ally.

He'd brought a large bouquet of flowers.

Austin had been sitting on the counter, waiting for Ally to finish her shift so that they could continue working on some songs he had in mind. He waited for Ally to go into professional mode and turn down the flowers with a "Sorry, I don't date guys I work with" and then dismiss Gavin with a "Sorry, this time every week is the only time I'm not too busy, and it's the only time I have for songwriting sessions with Austin."

Instead, Ally exclaimed, "Iris and freesia, my favorites! Thank you, Gavin, you're so sweet! Here, let me just put them in water, and then we can get started. Austin, can you lock up the cash register and close the store on your way out?"

Ouch.

Left with little choice, he forced a smile and a hello at Gavin, did as Ally had requested, and dragged his feet over to Shredder's Beach Club.

Trish's expression had immediately transformed into one of guilt when she saw him. "Crap, I'm sorry, Austin. Ally had to cancel four of your songwriting sessions to make room for Gavin, but she was afraid you'd take it badly. I was supposed to be the one to tell you yesterday at school, but I completely forgot, and then I slept in this morning and had to come straight to work because of this stupid promotion…"

"Trish, Trish, it's fine! You slipped up. We all do that sometimes."

She bit her lip. "Sorry again. There is a little bit of good news though."

Austin's ears perked at that. "And what's that?" He sure could use some good news after the past week of worry and stress and steadily declining hope.

"Ally's only going to be working with Gavin for a month—that's once a week. So you'll only be missing three more songwriting sessions before you should be back to normal."

One month? A whole _month_? Since when did it take an entire _month_ to write a song? Austin couldn't even count on both hands the number of songs he and Ally had only spent a day or two (heck, even just a night) to write. Did Ally and Gavin purposely request that Ronnie give them an entire month to write their crummy song so that they could spend the majority of their time _not_ actually working on said song? (Cue all the creepy-crawly little green-eyed monsters.)

Holy heck, what if Ally decided she liked working with Gavin much more than working with Austin and moved on to be Gavin's full-time songwriter?

"Oh" was all he said. So much for good news. He was pretty sure it ranked somewhere between "Ally canceled _five_ of your songwriting sessions to spend time with Gavin" and "Ally and Gavin are engaged." Right up there with "You will never date Ally again because you're going to be music partners forever. Even though you never work together anymore anyway."

Trish seemed to sense his disappointment. "Look, I'm really sorry. If it helps, I could ask Ally to shorten her appointments with Gavin and squeeze in fifteen minutes for you."

"Thanks, Trish, but shouldn't I be the one to ask her? I mean, it is _Austin_-and-Ally time she's canceling on."

"In theory, yes," Dez interjected, sauntering up to them with his arm around Carrie. "But Trish owes you this one. Besides, buddy, you look like you just got hit by a bus and then dragged around Miami by your ankles behind a vicuña."

* * *

And that was how, a week afterwards, Austin found himself third-wheeling with Ally and Gavin in Sonic Boom, relegated to the benches by the door while the pair of Ramone Records artists sat practically glued to each other at the piano, trying to write a chorus.

"So I was thinking we could fit those two lines like this." Gavin played a few chords and sang, "_Stuck on you, oo-ooh, always got each other's backs, we do…_"

Darn it. He had a good voice, too. What was this guy—some dashing, cardboard-cutout-perfect prince straight out of a Disney princess movie?

Ally made a few notes in her songbook. "But then what about the '_so glad I got a guy like you' _part? I kind of wanted to put that with '_always got each other's backs, we do'_ because the meters match so well."

"Hey, you're the expert. We'll go with whatever you want."

Were they writing a _love song?_ Did Gavin just tuck a strand of Ally's hair behind her ear and tell her she's really pretty? Did Ally just blush and giggle? Austin scowled.

Did their hands just touch over the keys?

Austin's eyes widened. Was Gavin _leaning in_? Was Ally _letting him_?

Before he knew what he was doing, he had clamped a hand on their shoulders and planted himself on the bench between them. "Hi Ally, hi Gavin!"

Gavin looked surprised but sent him a friendly smile nonetheless. "Hey, Austin. What are you doing here?"

"Well," Austin replied, slinging an arm around Ally and ignoring her glare, "Ally and I _always_ write together."

She shrugged his arm off. "Austin, our rehearsal doesn't start for another ten minutes."

"Well, that's okay. Are you guys writing the chorus? Here, let me help you with that!" He proceeded to play a tune that had been stuck in his head for a while.

Ally's hands on his wrists stopped him. "Austin, Gavin and I already have the tune for the chorus figured out. We just need lyrics for it."

"Yeah, you know, I was listening to it just now, and it's a bit too slow and sappy. Why don't you speed it up, make it more fun and catchy? Like this—"

Gavin interrupted his playing this time. "Sorry, Austin, but that's not exactly what we had in mind."

Ally chimed in, "Yeah, we're not writing dance pop here. It's not Gavin's style. Sorry, Austin, but I think you'd be more helpful if you go over there and wait until we're done."

_Well, that went well,_ Austin thought, fuming as he took a seat near the cymbal display in the corner of the store. _You've managed to get rejected _and_ get Ally mad at you all in the span of two minutes._

It was uncharacteristic of Ally to just brush him off like he was some kind of pesky mosquito, though. Ally was usually very careful not to hurt anyone's feelings. _I must have really ticked her off when I interrupted that almost-kiss_, he realized. In fact, it seemed as if Ally had really wanted to kiss Gavin—in the middle of doing her job, no less! Whatever happened to the Ally who'd repeatedly (but reluctantly) shut Austin down, for the sake of their partnership, whenever he even hinted at wanting to get back together?

A few minutes later, the entire cymbal display came crashing to the floor. It may or may not have had something to do with the fact that Gavin had been gushing along the lines of "Ally, you're so talented! I never would have come up with this one my own! How did I get so lucky?" every time Ally said _anything_, and the whole scene was just so sappy and _wrong, _and Austin was seeing red…

Maybe.

(The reverberation from the cymbals all over the floor might have messed with Austin's memory a little.)

* * *

"…And then Ally kicked me out of the store."

Trish and Dez burst out laughing but quickly stifled their giggles as Austin scowled at them over his untouched smoothie.

His manager wiped away a few stray tears. "Sorry, Austin. But come on, you have to admit that was funny. Legendary over-two-nights internet sensation Austin Moon knocking a bunch of cymbals off a display and then getting thrown out like a misbehaving puppy. I thought you'd outgrown that klutziness."

"_Anyway_, I don't think Ally letting me within a hundred feet of the store is going to be happening anytime soon." The fifteen minutes Ally had promised Austin hadn't happened either. After the cymbal incident, he'd wisely decided to keep his mouth shut and not remind her that she was supposed to spend more time with him once she wrapped up her session with Gavin. "So you can tell her that she doesn't have to make room for me after Gavin anymore."

"Aw, are you sure? You're her best friend, Austin. She wouldn't want you to feel awkward and out of place in Sonic Boom. It's practically your second home."

"Yeah, well, seeing as she's meeting with _Gavin_ on Austin-and-Ally time and laughing at all _his_ dumb jokes and writing _his_ style of music, I feel like Ally's replacing me, in more than just one way, if you know what I mean."

Dez quirked an eyebrow. "So…you're saying you don't want to write anymore with Ally for the rest of the month…because you're uncomfortable watching Ally and Gavin flirt." He took his silence as confirmation. "Correct me if I'm wrong, buddy, but weren't you the one who told her it was time to move on and date other people? Like, literally seconds after she told you seeing you with Chelsea made her insanely jealous?"

Crap, he had a point. "Well, yes—but I…" Austin fumbled, playing with the straw in his smoothie, "I—I don't know."

"Don't you want Ally to be happy?"

"Of course!"

"Then why would you have a problem with her and Gavin? Austin, you and Ally agreed that not being together was for the best so long as you were music partners. You can't just tell her to stop being hung up on you and then get mad and want to keep her to yourself when other guys express interest in her."

"I know, guys. It's just that…I'd always hoped that Ally and I would eventually get back together again. I just wasn't ready to see her move on so soon."

The gleam in Dez's eye told Austin that his best friend was relishing his Dr. Cupid role. "Look, Austin. As Ally's best freckled friend, I'm all for her putting herself out there and meeting new guys because it really isn't fair for her to have to deprive herself of happiness waiting for you. It's like giving her a pickle and telling her she can put it in her mouth, but she can't swallow it.

"_But_, as your best friend and longtime _Love Whisperer_, I think you need to quit sitting on your feelings, or you're going to go insane. If you don't want her to go out with Gavin, then you _need_ to tell her how you feel. Otherwise, you're just using her friendship as a consolation prize, and that's just dishonest and unfair to Ally."

Huh. "You're right, Dez. Ally can't possibly know I still have feelings for her unless I tell her… Now I just need to figure out how to work up the courage to do that. What if she doesn't like me anymore and dates Gavin anyway? Then our entire friendship would get awkward and weird, and then our partnership would be even worse than it was when we were actually a couple, and then we won't be Team Austin and Ally anymore…_Why would I do that?"_

Trish spoke up. "If it helps, Ally hasn't actually told me anything about Gavin. So there's a chance that they're just writing a love song because Ronnie thinks it would be a good marketing strategy to try and get Ally's fans to check out Gavin's music."

Right. And there was also a chance that zebras were real, and Ally still returned Austin's feelings.

* * *

Because large stadiums packed full of screaming fans still made Ally a little nervous, Ramone Records had decided to debut Gavin at a small gig in the Marino High School gymnasium, in front of an audience that mainly consisted of cheerleaders (including Dez and Chuck) and football players after the last game of the season.

Austin lingered by the exit as he waited for Ally and Gavin to return from doing their vocal warm-ups. He'd decided to put off telling Ally his feelings until after her collaboration with Gavin was over. Ally was busy all the time, and it wouldn't be fair to burden her with having to choose between him and Gavin while she was already worrying about school, and her career, and her collaboration, and Sonic Boom, and deciding between going to college and becoming a full-time recording artist…

His hand felt sweaty as it felt around in his pocket for a slightly crumpled notecard. The night before, he'd rehearsed several versions of the speech he was going to give Ally before finally deciding on a simple "_Seeing you having so much fun working with Gavin made me realize that I still have feelings for you_." (What? It was indisputably better than "_You make me feel…feelings_.")

Panic momentarily overcame Austin as he realized that the card wasn't there, before he remembered that he'd pitched the stupid thing into the trash this morning. What was the use of reciting a memorized speech? This was Ally, his quirky and adorable best friend, and she deserved something from the heart.

_Ally's your best friend_, he repeated to himself as he made his way over to the crowd before the small makeshift stage. _You can talk to her about pretty much everything, so just be completely honest with her. _

Next to him, Trish shot him a quizzical look and raised her eyebrows at Ally, who had appeared in the doorway with Gavin in tow. "I take it you're going to tell her after the gig? Good luck!"

He nodded in thanks and applauded along with everyone else as Ally and Gavin took the stage.

Gavin spoke into his mic, "Hey, y'all, thanks for having me. I just wanted to say, it's a real honor to be singing with this beautiful, talented young girl right here."

Austin rolled his eyes as Gavin shot Ally an openly admiring look, and the girls in the crowd collectively _aww_'d. Seriously, how cheesy could this guy get? And why did no one else object to how unprofessional he was being, _flirting_ with his coworker?

Ally, however, just grinned coquettishly and replied, "Thanks, Gavin. This song is called 'Me and You.'"

Austin pushed all thoughts of his confession to the back of his mind. After all, it would probably be better if he actually paid attention to the performance. Would also probably serve as a better opening to the dreaded Conversation than just blurting, "AllyIstilllikeyou."

It seemed as if the two had taken his advice to speed up the song, make it catchier and more upbeat. Unfortunately, it only annoyed him that he'd helped make Ally's and _Gavin's_ song better. And he had to admit that it was a good song.

But was it really necessary to keep dancing around each other and looking at each other like that the whole time? And did Gavin have to twirl Ally and then hold her like that? Austin felt the burger he'd had for lunch threaten to make a reappearance, and he was pretty sure it had less to do with the fact that in fewer than two minutes he would be handing his heart over to Ally and hoping for it not to splat, and more to do with the fact that _Ally and Gavin were practically grinding!_

Besides, duets were his and Ally's thing.

* * *

When the song ended, Austin wasn't sure whether to be relieved that he wouldn't have to bear witness to any more of Ally's and Gavin's gyrating or terrified that he would soon be suspending his heart over a pit of knives by a thread and handing Ally the scissors.

Why couldn't he just throw Gavin into the pit?

Because murder is illegal. Right.

He finally managed to get her alone when the crowd started to disperse, and the band was cleaning up, and Gavin was off getting congratulated by his new fans.

"Ally! You guys sounded awesome up there!"

(What? It was true. Technically. He hadn't said anything about the way they _looked_.)

Ally beamed. "Thanks, Austin! I'm glad you liked it. And, hey, there's something I wanted to tell you."

What was this—some weird kind of best-friend telepathy? "Me too!"

"You go first," they said at the same time. "No, you go first."

Austin scratched his neck nervously, and Ally laughed.

"Then I'll go first," she decided. She took a deep breath as Austin held his. "I just wanted you to know that I'm not going to be working with Gavin anymore."

_Really? YES!_

Oops, did he say that out loud? "Oh, uh, I mean…aw, why? I thought you guys worked so well together." _Great_ recovery, dude.

Could it be that Ally had missed him, too, after an entire month of partnership hiatus? Maybe this whole "romance" between her and Gavin really was just a marketing strategy for Ronnie Ramone. Maybe the stars were aligning, and the universe was finally on Austin's side again!

"We do," Ally replied. "I just didn't want to complicate things."

"How would it complicate things?" _Stupid question! Don't you remember how she couldn't even write with you because she barely had time to work with Gavin? Now tell the girl how you feel!_

"Because Gavin and I shouldn't work together…if we're going to date."

_THUD._ What was that? Oh, nothing. Just his heart momentarily forgetting how to do its job. No biggie.

"Wait. You guys are _dating_?"

Ally shrugged, oblivious to his anguish. He really did deserve a Golden Globe for hiding it so well.

"He asked me out," she elaborated. "So…I'm going to go on a date with him."

_Oh, man. I should have gone first…_

He'd better get the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for what he was going to say next, playing the part of the supportive best friend.

"That's…great! You guys will have fun," he finished lamely.

Ally's doe eyes held a mixture of shock and relief. "So you're good?!" Her grin widened, and she reached out for a hug.

That weird best-friend telepathy thing was back. _Thanks for being such a great friend thank you thank you I love you,_ she seemed to be conveying through the gesture, and his heart simultaneously soared and plummeted because this was an _Ally_ hug, but in a way it was also a _goodbye_ hug.

As Ally skipped off to find Gavin, Trish, who had apparently witnessed the entire exchange, tentatively approached Austin's side.

"So…"

"Don't tell me. I'm an idiot."

"Actually, I was just going to say that I'm proud of you. You put your own wants aside to make her happy."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? She's _dating_ _Gavin_ now. If that's not bad enough, consider this: When can Ally possibly have time for dates? She can only find it by canceling on Austin-and-Ally time!"

The Latina sighed. "You really are an idiot. Didn't you see she was doing you a favor? You can either be her partner or be her boyfriend; you can't be both. She decided to put your career and your dreams first and date Gavin instead. Of course she's going to make time to write with you again! Besides, it's not like she's gonna be with him forever."

"How do you know that? Didn't you see the way she looked at him when she sang? Or how happy she was—" he noticed the new happy couple embracing on the other side of the gym "—is?"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear those song lyrics? '_Always got each other's backs'? 'Stuck on you'? 'It's okay to be me next to you'? 'Always got a friend in me, that's the way it's gotta be'?_ She was writing about you! Even if she didn't know it at the time, she'll figure it out someday."

"You're only saying that to make me feel better, but thanks for trying, Trish."

Besides, once Austin swallowed his pride and jealousy, he had to admit that Gavin was good for Ally. She loved all things girly and romantic, and he was exactly what she needed. Someone who could unabashedly tell her she was gorgeous and amazing and perfect. Someone who could come up with cute nicknames that weren't "goosepickle" or "Ally I-don't-know-your-middle-name Dawson."

Maybe it was for the better. Austin had heard somewhere that people often confuse the source of their happiness, believing that happiness results from getting something you want when in reality, happiness is the absence of desire. People get new cars or new houses or new smartphones or new relationships and feel happy when those desires are met, but it's always a matter of time before another desire comes along, and so they continue to chase these desires for temporary happiness… Maybe it was time to let Ally go, return to appreciating just how lucky he was to be her friend.

Maybe Austin would finally be happy once he stopped wishing their friendship were something more.

* * *

**A/N: **Please let me know what you think. I know this first chapter may be a little depressing, but rest assured that this fic will end the way you want it to…depending on whose side you're on. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Here's chapter 2. Usual disclaimer applies. **Some parts of this chapter were borrowed heavily from "Fashion Shows and First Impressions," so beware of spoilers. :/** Also rest assured that I have not actually seen any of the upcoming episodes, so even if it doesn't look like it just yet, this fic will definitely diverge from the actual show, sometimes in really major ways. We just haven't gotten there yet because there's one more character I first have to introduce in this chapter.

I'm really sorry if Ally in the last chapter came off a bit bitchy. I wrote it at 2 a.m. while watching the leaked video of her singing "Me and You" with Gavin, and I was drowning in OMG ALLY WHAT ARE YOU DOING feels. So yeah, I might have been a little mad at her for openly flirting with Gavin on stage in front of Austin… And sorry, too, about all the angst last chapter. I don't know…I think I could just specialize in angsty fics. I actually have trouble writing my characters to be happy because I find happiness to be a bit of a flat, shallow, unmoving emotion when it comes to trying to make your readers _feel_ things. Maybe I'm just bad at it. We'll see…

And just FYI, the title of this story is a lyric from a poem that I've been trying to write for the sole purpose of this fic because I don't like using other people's songs in my writing. You're welcome. It will most likely never see the light of day, though, because I'm not too keen on revealing my identity on the internet.

Okay, I'll stop now before this note becomes longer than the actual chapter. More later.

* * *

Ally's and Gavin's collaboration was over, and things were starting to return to normal.

Well, as normal as they could get, considering the fact that what once was a happy quartet of best friends had suddenly evolved into a colorful blob of personalities consisting of  
1) the whacky redhead, who managed to defy all odds and find a girlfriend,  
2) his aforementioned scatterbrained girlfriend,  
3) the feisty job-jumping Latina, who had suddenly managed to hold onto both a job for two whole months (and counting) _and_ a long-distance boyfriend,  
4) said long-distance boyfriend, who mainly existed to the others as a mass of pixels that lived exclusively in a myTAB,  
5) the once-shy genius songwriter, who had suddenly started flirting like Megan Fox,  
6) said songwriter's new boyfriend, who was so easy to hate because he was impossible to hate,  
and 7) the over-two-nights internet sensation turned popstar and teen heartthrob, seventh-wheeling like a pro.

The irony was killing him.

Also, said blob of personalities had moved its usual hangout from the mall to the beach club. Something to do with the fact that both Trish and Carrie worked there, although it didn't really look like either cared to be there most of the time.

But some things never changed. Trish was not working, having propped up her boyfriend-in-a-tablet on the table and covered him with a bunch of magazines she was pretending to sort; Dez was off somewhere, probably up to crazy shenanigans with Carrie involving seagulls and his window burger-making kit; and Ally still hated sand, so Gavin spread out a picnic blanket _just for her, how sweet of him_.

The two had gone on their first date the very day after the gig. Austin didn't know for sure and probably never would, but he suspected that Trish might have tipped Ally off about his feeling neglected for the past month because Ally seemed to be making a conscious effort to worm her way back into Austin's life. And not in a good way.

She'd called him Saturday morning, panicking about what outfit to wear to her date that night, before he reminded her that her other, _female_ best friend was the fashionista. Austin had just fallen back asleep (because who starts getting ready for a six-o-clock dinner date at _nine in the freaking morning,_ on a _Saturday_, no less?) when his phone rang again, Ally on the other end, having just resolved her wardrobe crisis and now asking for advice on how to impress Gavin enough to warrant a second date. Austin had yawned and reminded her that _Dez_ was Marino High's resident love expert, before turning his phone off and drifting off again.

Scarcely two hours later, Ally had shown up in his room, lecturing him about the health hazards of oversleeping while attempting to wheedle him into covering her night shift at Sonic Boom while she was on her date. And then she'd confessed that Dez had simply told her to "be herself," but she wasn't really sure what that meant, and she _really_ wanted this date to go smoothly and non-awkwardly, so Austin was forced to crush what remained of his heart into a messy, goopy paste (or was that the soggy pancakes he'd been having for breakfast and for which he'd suddenly lost his appetite?) as he assured her that all she had to do was act the way she always did around Gavin because she was awesome and would never not be. She'd been so touched that she leaned in to give him a hug, which he took as his cue to barricade himself in his room and dig a grave for his heart-paste until she got bored and left.

She'd called him the very next morning, ecstatic to inform him that his advice worked, and the date was fantastic, and Gavin opened her door and pulled out her chair and shared his dessert with her, and did she mention that it was the perfect date? She hadn't even minded that Austin had forgotten to lock the store after he closed it (luckily, nothing had been taken).

She would have gone on for hours about Gavin's hair, and the sparkle in his eyes, and his voice that could have made the phonebook sound absolutely fascinating, but Austin had finally interrupted (_stop poisoning me with your happiness!_) with the excuse that he wasn't feeling particularly great and wanted to go back to sleep. But then she'd insisted that he get some fresh air. Before he could protest, she'd called up everyone else, and they'd shown up on his doorstep to drag him to the beach.

And that was why Austin Moon was currently sulking at a table at Shredder's with yet another untouched smoothie while Trish "sorted through" old issues of _Cheetah Beat _next to him, and "Gally" (as they were now trending on Tweeter) were lounging on the nearby picnic blanket.

The way Ally had her head on Gavin's shoulder suddenly reminded him of the time a year ago, when he and Ally had rehearsed his "perfect date" with Kira. He hadn't realized he liked Ally then. Was this how she'd felt, encouraging him to follow his heart, even though she knew it wasn't set on her?

Trish's voice cut into Austin's thoughts. "If you two are going to stare at each other, can you at least do it where the paparazzi won't have a field day?"

_Busted_.

He tried to play it cool. "Stare at each other? _Us? Whaaaaat?_"

"No way," Ally agreed.

"I _have_ eyes." Trish rolled them to prove her point.

…Yeah, spending time with Ally (especially having to watch her with someone else) wasn't really helping with the getting-over-her part. He knew he should have faked a cold and stayed barricaded in his room…

Then Gavin stood up, brushing off his shorts. "Let's get out of here, Ally. It's time to celebrate our one-monthiversary."

Ally beamed. "We're going to the pickle factory," she gushed. "Isn't Gavin the sweetest?"

Wait. Hadn't they just gone on their first date last night?

As the couple walked off, Trish noticed Austin's confusion. "They're marking it from the day they started collaborating," she explained. She rolled her eyes. "I didn't even know until Gavin explained it to me today. Why do I get the feeling they're going to be one of _those_ couples that celebrate a new anniversary every week? And I still can't believe Ally didn't tell me anything!" Then she grimaced. "Right, sorry. It must be hard seeing Ally with someone else."

Austin shrugged. "It was weird at first," he lied. "But Gavin would make Ally much happier, and that doesn't mean I can't be happy anymore. I'm ready to move on." Maybe if he said it enough times, it would be true.

"I know the perfect girl," Dez chimed in as he and Carrie joined their table. "She's tall, sweet, easy on the eyes. Sadly, she's taken. Love you babe!" He booped Carrie's nose, eliciting a giggle. "But lucky for you, Carrie has a sister!"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Carrie squealed, clapping her hands. "You'd love her, Austin. She's just like me, only…kind of forgetful. Oh, which reminds me, I forgot to turn off the dishwasher." She scampered off.

Austin laughed as Dez exclaimed after her, "That's my girl!" Carrie was great for Dez, and Austin was happy for his best friend. He really was.

But he was also pretty sure an even more scatterbrained version of Carrie wasn't exactly what he was looking for.

He was even more sure when Dez pulled out his phone to show him a picture of the girl in question.

* * *

He had just walked out of Starr Records' studio, planning to head over to Shredder's to hang out with Dez, when he heard a voice calling for him to wait up. Doubling back, he fumbled to hold open the door as a familiar figure walked out.

"Oh, hi, Kira! Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to the beach to relax a bit. Daddy's been making me work my behind off for my second album."

"Yeah, I haven't seen you in a while. How's it going?"

The girl who had inadvertently set off the entire chain of events last year that had eventually led to his and Ally's complicated relationship merely shrugged as they set off for the beach. "I've been busy trying to get into songwriting. You know how it is. The music biz is so competitive nowadays that if you just buy meaningless songs off of professional songwriters, it's only a matter of time before the artists who write their own original music crowd you out of the market, and then you're spending more money than you're making."

"Wait, Jimmy's not going to drop you from his label, is he?"

Kira sighed. "Daddy's never been one to give anyone special treatment. So yeah, he probably will if I don't prove that I'm an asset to the label."

They walked for a few more blocks before the distant crash of waves and the crunch of gravel beneath their feet giving way to sand indicated that they were nearly at their destination. Then Kira spoke again, "Sorry for being such a Negative Nancy. I'm just really stressed at the moment. Anyway, how've you been? Must be pretty boring still having to go to school even though you're a world-famous popstar, huh?"

"Eh, I've been all right. I mean, I've got my friends, I've got my music. Things could be a little better there, though. I haven't had much time to write with Ally lately."

Kira winced. "Oh, yeah. I heard about Gavin and Ally. I'm sorry."

Austin was about to reply when he was suddenly blinded by a flash of light. Oh, no…

"_Oh. Em. GEE! I want to hear about Gavin and Ally!_"

The little terror leaped out of nowhere (actually, probably from behind the hot dog vendor's cart), all seventy-five pounds of neon cap and jean jacket and fingerless gloves and hyperactivity. "_This just in—Ally Dawson has new boyfriend! Megan Simms here to get the latest from ex-boyfriend Austin Moon and rival Kira Starr. I am totes fuh-reaking! Are you two getting back together now that Ally's out of the way? Gimme the scoop!"_

Kira held up her hands cautiously. "Um…can I say, 'no comment'?"

"_No!_" They shrank away as she brandished her camera again. "_You can't hide anything from _Cheetah Beat!_ Now admit you're dating again, or I'll—AGH!"_

The duo blinked in surprise as suddenly, Megan leaped back, frantically wiping at her camera lens with her glove. She turned to a random beachgoer behind her. "_Hey, watch where you're wringing your hair! You could've cererally ruined my camera!"_

"That was the point. Now you'd better leave them alone because I've got a whole lot more seawater where that came from."

Megan flounced off with a huff, and Austin got his first good look at their savior.

She was still bending over, working the knots out of her blonde hair. It was damp with seawater, but probably fair enough that, when dry, could be no more than a few shades darker than his own hair. She had obviously just come in from surfing, as evidenced by the red-orange wetsuit she had on and the surfboard tucked under one arm. Long legs, athletic build…she could have been a cheerleader at Marino, but he was pretty sure he'd never seen her around before.

Then she straightened up, eyes lighting up with recognition. "Oh, hey, Kira!"

Kira's eyes widened. "Piper? Oh my gosh, hi! I haven't seen you in years…since you quit modeling school, actually. How've you been?"

The girl—Piper—shrugged. "It just didn't work out. But that's okay because I got into surfing instead. Glad to see you've stuck with it and got your big break."

"Oh, yeah! Speaking of which, that was all thanks to this guy here."

And then she was looking at him, and he suddenly felt like he'd had one too many of Dez's peanut butter and caramel paninis, and his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. Her eyes were a striking blue and seemed to be laughing at his speechlessness.

He caught himself when Kira raised an eyebrow. _Aren't you going to introduce yourself?_

"Uh, hi—I mean…" He coughed and continued in his manliest voice, "'Sup? I'm Austin," holding out his hand.

She shook it with a smile. "I know who you are. I'm a big fan." Then he caught a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I mean—'_sup? I'm Piper_."

Was she mocking his flirting skills? When was the last time he'd met a fan who was unimpressed with his celebrity and able to keep her cool and not scream or have a conniption upon shaking his hand, let alone tease him?

He nodded at her surfboard. "Smart coming in. Those waves are getting big."

Piper smirked. "Actually, I'm waiting for them to get bigger."

Wait. "Really? _Those_ waves are too small for you?" _Play it cool, play it cool…_ "I—I mean, me too! How come I haven't seen you around here before?"

"I usually surf by my house. But there's much better scenery here, _if_ you know what I mean."

"Uh, thanks?" He cleared his throat. "So, uh, want to go surfing some time tomorrow?"

"Are you asking me out? There are some twenty-foot waves I'd love to try out tomorrow morning."

Was she _serious?_ He literally felt the blood drain from his face. "Uh…I'll see you after lunch then?"

Piper laughed then. "I was just kidding. How about not? I get the feeling your surfing's going to be worse than your flirting."

Kira rescued him before he could make a bigger fool of himself. "Hey, Piper, let's go catch up over coffee. My treat."

* * *

It was hard to believe that scarcely forty-eight hours ago, he'd still been moping in bed and considering writing an entire album of songs about how he was never going to get over Ally, but now, as he walked through the Mall of Miami with the rest of the Blob (sans-Gavin) Tuesday afternoon, he couldn't get his mind off the girl he'd met the previous day.

Ahead of him, Trish was complaining to Jace-in-a-myTAB about having to pick up all the surfboards yesterday after some bratty kids knocked them over, spilling an entire cooler of ice water while they were at it. That reminded Austin of how Piper had scared Megan off when she had him and Kira at knifepoint (…well, camera flash-point).

Carrie had mentioned that Dez had rescued her from a long, tedious evening at work. That reminded Austin that he would never be able to repay her for rescuing him and Kira, since he hadn't gotten her number. Come to think of it, that would make a pretty good backstory for a sad love song…_the potential connection that never was_…

Ally and Trish must have gotten into a fight or something (Austin vaguely recalled Trish being mad at Ally for not telling her about Gavin until she found out from listening to her conversation with Austin) because Ally was currently talking to him instead and pointedly not looking at Trish. Austin was vaguely aware that she was recording and starting to promote her first album (she was considering getting her name out there by getting into modeling), but that reminded him of how Piper used to go to modeling school with Kira. He wondered what had made her quit. The girl was gorgeous and definitely had the confidence for it.

And suddenly, said girl walked right into his field of vision.

Her hair was dry now, sleek, stick-straight and just a shade darker than his own. But he could recognize those blue eyes anywhere, currently sparklingly with recognition and her rapier wit.

He hadn't gotten her number yesterday, and he'd been so sure he'd never see her again. But now that his second chance had practically fallen into his lap, there was no way he was going to pass it up.

Casting an apologetic glance at Ally, who was in the middle of describing her dream fashion show outfit, Austin excused himself and made a beeline across the food court.

"Hi! Piper, was it? Fancy running into you here."

"Yeah, well, my sister texted me to meet her here because she's taking the day off work. Something about her wanting me to meet her boyfriend's best friend. I think she wants to double date. That, and she probably wants me to be her ride. She's not exactly the most trustworthy driver around."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic about it," Austin observed.

"Nope."

"How about this? I could take you on a date tonight and be your fake boyfriend to get your sister off your back."

"Really? You're asking me out again? On a fake date this time?"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, you've got a point there. It was just a suggestion, though. It doesn't have to be fake if you don't want it to be. Dinner at the Melody Diner?"

She grinned. "It's a date."

"Austin! There you are!" Ah, that would be the others hurrying toward them across the food court.

"Here, come meet my friends. Guys, I've got a date tonight, so I won't be able to hang out. She was my superhero yesterday and saved me from Megan and her camera. This is—"

"_Piper_?" Carrie asked incredulously. Next to her, Dez mirrored her expression.

"Hey, Carrie!" Piper replied cheerfully.

Wait. "You guys know each other?"

"Um, _yeah_," Carrie replied in a _no-duh_ tone as Dez rolled his eyes. "She's my sister!"

"Wait, _what?"_ Suddenly, it clicked in his head. Piper's sister was trying to set her up with her boyfriend's best friend. Carrie was trying to set Piper up with her boyfriend's best friend. Carrie was trying to set Piper up with Dez's best friend. _Carrie was trying to set Piper up with Austin._

Wow, just _what_ were the odds? Just when he thought he'd seen it all…

"No way!" Trish exclaimed. "_This_ is the kooky girl Dez wanted to set you up with in the first place?"

Piper turned to him, confused. "Wait, what is she talking about?"

"Yeah, I wanted to set you two up," Dez supplied, "but when I showed Austin your picture—"

Oh, no. Austin loved his best friend, but he wished now for the umpteenth time that the guy came with a filter of some sort. He tried making a slicing motion over his throat to signal for Dez to _stop right there_, but it was too late.

"—he was all like, '_Bleauggghhh, ugggghhhh, ewwwchhhh!'"_

"_Really?"_ Piper was glaring now. "So. I wasn't _good enough_ for you?"

"No!" he protested. "I—I can explain! See, Dez showed me this picture, and your face was all…" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "…uh…not like it is now!"

The redhead helpfully held up that precise picture on his phone.

"That was from Nerd Day at school!" Piper exclaimed in outrage. "It bothers me that all you care about is looks. What if that wasn't a costume? It could have been real. Haven't you ever gone through an awkward phase?"

Ally cut in then, trying to diffuse the situation. "Um, I think we're all feeling a little awkward right now…"

Trish countered, "Actually, I'm enjoying myself." Ally squirmed.

Austin didn't get a chance to worry about the tiff going on between his friends, though, because Piper was speaking again.

"You can forget about that date, Austin. I don't want to go out with a guy who's this shallow."

"I'm not shallow," he protested. "I just like pretty girls!"

_WAIT. That sounded bad!_

Piper was already walking away. He moved to catch up with her, but Ally pulled him aside. "I don't think that's such a great idea," she hissed. "She's clearly not interested."

But Trish promptly marched over to them and yanked his sleeve out of Ally's grasp. "Nah, she seemed pretty interested before Dez ratted you out. Maybe you're just not approaching her the right way. You're coming off as a spoiled, conceited little celebrity. At least offer to treat her for saving your butt with Megan."

So he dashed back across the food court, ignoring the stares from everyone seated around them, and caught up with Piper just as she was about to walk outside.

"What do you want now?" she snapped.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier, and I understand why you think I'm shallow. You don't have to agree to this, but I still owe you for saving me and Kira yesterday. How about I treat you to dinner at Shredder's tonight? It doesn't have to be a date."

She looked like she was about to refuse. Austin was tempted to bring out the puppy eyes, but he had a feeling she'd see them as a manipulative ploy.

Instead, he just said, "Please. I want to make it up to you."

She sighed. "Fine."

* * *

By 5:30, he was a nervous wreck.

"Dude, calm down. It's not even like you're taking her out on a date." From his spot on Austin's bed, Dez rolled over and stuffed a handful of M&M's in his mouth. "You wouldn't happen to have any mayo in here, would you?"

Austin ran a hand through his hair and tossed another shirt onto his bed. "I don't know what to wear! It's not a date, but I don't want to give her the impression that I didn't feel bothered to look nice!" He rummaged through the mess on his desk. "I'm calling Ally!"

She picked up after one ring. "Austin, shouldn't you be heading out for your, uh, not-date now?"

"Ally, I'm at my wit's end right now. Should I wear jeans or shorts? Does the red-and-blue plaid look a little too clownish? Is the grey-and-white button-down a little too formal? _Should I wear my lucky guitar pick necklace?"_

"Um…dark jeans, yes, probably not, and yes, you're going to need all the luck you can get."

"Dark jeans, got it. Shirt?"

"Why don't you ask your mom?

"_Ally_, it's 5:40! I don't have time to watch my mom paw through my stuff and lecture me about cleaning my room regularly!"

"_I'll be there in a sec_!" Ally shouted to someone on the other end. "Sorry, Austin. I gotta go. Good luck!"

"Ally, wait! You have to help me pick a…and you're gone."

There was a _ping_ from Dez's phone just as Austin finished tying his belt. "Piper's on her way to Shredder's," he announced. "Carrie says she's wearing an orange sundress." He smirked. "She's wearing your favorite color. Looks like you might have a chance after all."

"That's great, buddy, but if she's already on her way, then I really need to pick out a shirt _now_. Should I wear orange, too? Or would it be awkward to match when it's not a date?"

Dez groaned, reaching behind him for the first shirt he laid hands on and throwing it across the room at Austin. "Just wear this one and go before she thinks you've stood her up."

"But I haven't even figured out what to say to her! How do you impress a girl who doesn't want to be on a date with you? Dez, why are you shoving me out of my own room? …Dez? …Can you at least give me my wallet?"

* * *

He found Piper waiting at a small table next to the sand pit.

"Sorry I'm late. It was a longer walk than I thought it'd be."

She shrugged. "At least you bothered to show up. Carrie decided to spend the night texting Dez."

One of the waitresses (thankfully, she seemed to care more about her job than Trish or Carrie did) took their orders then. As they waited for their food, Austin floundered around for a topic of conversation. Piper looked thoroughly bored.

He winced. "Sorry, I'm not very good at first dates—not that this is a date," he added hastily. "But unless you count one time as a fundraiser, I don't think I've been on a date since Ally and I broke up."

"I can tell, from that interesting choice of shirt you got there."

"Huh?" He'd been in too much of a hurry to get to Shredder's to actually look closely at the garment Dez had thrown at him. Now he grimaced. Hawaiian-print flower pattern. Fantastic. "Dez made me wear it. I think it's one of his, actually. We had sort of a luau at Sonic Boom once, and—long story short—Dez made a volcano that blew up, and I took the shirt home to wash but never got around to giving it back."

"Wait, a _volcano_ blew up in Sonic Boom?"

"It's a long story."

"Hey, I've got time. It's better than having nothing to talk about."

"But you know who I am, and I know pretty much nothing about you."

Piper snorted. "Austin, you're a celebrity. That automatically means no one knows anything but the embellished stuff the press puts out. You think I'm going to believe what they write about you in _Cheetah Beat_?"

"What do they write about me in _Cheetah Beat_?"

She gave him a look. "Really? Remember that kid I shooed off yesterday? You think she'll just scrap a story if she doesn't get the 'deets'?"

"Oh. Right." He briefly flashed back to the time Trish had fed Megan exaggeration after exaggeration and the time Megan wrote an entire article on his and Kira's "relationship" from a photo she took after they'd already broken up. "Yeah, I prefer not to read about myself in the tabloids. Trish says it'll make my head bigger—is that actually possible? Dez tells me the only way to make your head bigger is to hit it really hard and get a 'goose egg.'"

"…Right. Never mind then."

Their food arrived, and the conversation lulled for a little while.

Then Piper sat back and cleared her throat. "So…I have a confession to make."

"And what's that?"

"I wasn't actually that mad at you for coming off as shallow."

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that again. I could totally see why you did think I'm shallow—wait, but then how come you didn't want to go on a date with me?"

"…It's kind of a personal answer. No worries, though. I've seen the footage."

"Huh?"

"I'm a _fan_, Austin. Of course I've seen Dez's videos and those live streams you sometimes do with your friends. Plus, I've seen the footage of Ally wrecking the set of the _Helen Show_, but you obviously saw past that."

"Yeah…she was kind of a dork back then—but in a good way. Still kind of is, actually…"

"…Right. The point is, you're a nice guy, and I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. Besides, Carrie thinks you're all right, and she sees _something_ in your weird friend."

"Yeah, Dez is _something._" Austin smiled. "I'm glad we cleared that up."

The conversation flowed much more smoothly after that.

Somehow, they got to talking about movies they'd seen recently. Austin admitted he'd been too busy lately to do anything for fun. "I think the last movie I saw was _Frozen_ because Ally loved it and insisted that we all watch it with her."

To be honest, now that he thought about it, he was really starting to hate that movie. Tall blonde leading guy? Austin. Goofy best friend? Dez. Adorkably clumsy leading lady? Ally. Perfect suitor who thwarts romance between leading guy and leading lady? Gavin.

Just one tiny problematic detail: Gavin wasn't Hans because (spoiler alert) Hans was a manipulative sociopath, and Gavin was actually perfect. _Looks like Kristoff won't get the girl in this version._

Piper responded by wrinkling her nose.

"What? You don't like kids' movies?"

"No, no, it's not that. I just didn't enjoy this particular one because they tried too hard and used too many characters, making the plot unnecessarily convoluted, yet too simple and convenient at the same time."

…Well, that was an interesting way to look at it…and it kind of described his life, too. Austin recalled the pre-Gavin days, when he and Ally would constantly dance along the line separating "friends" and "a couple," a complicated relationship that could have easily been resolved if they had, _oh I don't know_, just gotten back together. It had taken the arrival of a new guy for Austin to realize that, and now it was too late…

Was that really such a bad thing, though? Piper was interesting. She was clearly not afraid to speak her mind. She made him laugh with her quick wit and dry sense of humor. She wasn't creepy or stalker-ish like Brooke, and she wasn't a level 90 clinger like Kira. So far, he hadn't found any flaws about her.

He'd promised Ally a year ago that he wouldn't let go just yet, but Ally turned out to be the one to let go first. He had about as much a chance with Ally now as a snowball had in Miami. Did that mean he was no longer obligated to hold on anymore? Ally was happy with Gavin, so Austin wouldn't be "unfaithful" to Ally by dating Piper, right?

He cleared his throat. "So…do you think we could catch a movie together some time? I hear _The Lego Movie_ is really good."

Suddenly, Piper went pale. Austin realized she'd spotted something behind him, but all he saw when he nervously turned around was a pair of random strangers (a guy and a girl, probably on a real date, judging from their matching outfits) seated at the next table. "Um, Piper? You okay?"

"I'm really sorry, Austin. I just can't…I can't be here right now." Barring when she had been furious about his supposed shallowness earlier today, this was the first time he'd seen her lose her cool. She was standing up, still casting panicked looks at whatever was upsetting her behind him, hastily gathering her things and digging through her purse for a few crumpled bills.

Austin stopped her from leaving them on the table, though. "Hey, the whole point of tonight was for me to treat you for yesterday. I'll pay."

Their waitress was running over anyway, so they settled the tab in record time, and then Austin was steering Piper out of Shredder's.

It was not a particularly chilly night by Miami standards, even though it was still early March, but Piper seemed to be trembling. Austin wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from whatever had spooked her, and he hadn't thought to bring a jacket, so he simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't pull away.

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry I freaked out. I feel like I owe you an explanation, though. Is there anywhere we can talk?"

He gestured at the numerous park benches lining the street, and they moved to the nearest one. Piper seemed calmer now, as she played with the strap of her bag and gathered her thoughts.

"I recognized the guy sitting behind you," she finally said.

"Who was he? You were looking at him like he'd murdered your family or something."

"Ex. It didn't end well."

"Oh."

"We went out for a few months, but then he dumped me. Turned out he'd been cheating on me with a different girl practically the whole time. I didn't take it too well."

What was this possessive anger bubbling up in his gut? "You're better off without him," he assured her. "He didn't deserve you."

"I realize that _now_. But at the time…I remembered feeling _so angry_ at the other girl—she was actually one of my friends—for stealing him away. It was a stupid way to feel, I know. He's a person, not a lunchbox. And people have feelings, and feelings change. So if anyone was to blame, it was the jerkwad. But, as the dumpee, your initial gut reaction is to hate the other girl for stealing your boyfriend because it…well, it really sucks to be passed over for someone else."

When Austin didn't say anything, she continued, "I moved on. I'd actually forgotten all about him until you asked me out. But then I noticed the way Ally was looking at us. That's partly why I said no earlier today. I didn't want to be _that girl_ to Ally."

Wait. How had Ally made her way into this conversation?

"So let me get this straight: You don't want to go out with me because you don't want Ally to feel like I'm replacing her? Piper, in case you missed Megan's shrieking yesterday, Ally has a boyfriend, and she's really happy with him. You won't be intruding on anything."

"I also don't want to get hurt. And you still like her."

Was he really that obvious? How had she figured that out? Austin racked his memory and realized that, yes, he might have mentioned Ally a _little_ too much during his dinner conversation with Piper.

"…Okay, maybe a little," he admitted. "But Ally's with Gavin now, and I'm not going to let that keep me from being happy. Just like you shouldn't let one bad experience with a guy keep you from being happy again."

"Well, I'm not _against _giving dating another try or anything. I just don't want to feel like you're killing time with me until Ally becomes available again."

"Piper, I'm not trying to replace Ally with you because I need someone to fill in that gap in my life. You're very different from her—but it's a good different. And I just want to get to know you better. At least think about that movie date?"

There was a long pause.

"…You're very tenacious, Austin. All right, I'll think about it. But…" She paused, hesitating.

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"I don't think—um…there's no good way to lead into this, so I'm just going to put it out there…would you like my number?"

* * *

**Lengthy end note:** There have been enough clips from "Fashion Shows and First Impressions" leaked that I do know how Austin and Piper meet and eventually get together, and it's not exactly how it happened in this chapter, but I wrote the outline for this story way before I saw those clips, back when we had no idea what Piper's personality would be like (namely witty and sarcastic). Fortunately, I had unintentionally written Piper as sort of a self-insert in an effort to make her as different from Ally as possible, so I was very much relieved when, judging from the leaked footage, my version of Piper is not too far off from Disney's. The scariest part is that I was actually considering introducing Piper as Carrie's sister…and then I found out she actually will be!

If you're wondering about Ally's and Trish's fight in this chapter, I just wanted to clarify that it wasn't in the clip I saw from "Fashion Shows and First Impressions." I made it up, and you'll see why in about two or three chapters.

I'm still a bit pissed that we won't be getting any new episodes until the end of the month. Apparently, "Horror Stories and Halloween Scares" is set to air at some point after "Fashion Shows and First Impressions," which suggests that in A&A time, it's still late September (school's back in session anyway) or early October. I guess that's what happens when we people in the real world have to wait months on end for new episodes: the characters are stuck in some kind of time vortex. Or maybe the Halloween episode doesn't follow any kind of continuity with the other episodes, like that "Freaky Friends and Fan Fiction" episode from Season 2, seeing as there's already been a Christmas episode.

At any rate, I realized that the timing of my story is getting thrown off by that Halloween episode, so just for the heck of it, let it be known that this fanfic takes place towards the end of the school year, in either March or April-ish (I think I said March earlier). Also, I don't think it's ever explicitly stated, so for the purposes of this fic, let's assume that Austin, Ally, Trish, and Dez are now high school seniors, which would explain why there's going to be a prom episode in Season 3 when there was no mention of prom in any of the previous seasons.

If you're still reading this, I'm happy to announce that I have finished the outline for this story, and it's looking to be 10 chapters long. With that out of the way, I will try to post updates every three or four days and hopefully be done well before "Last Dances and Last Chances" premieres.

The ending of this chapter was utter crap, but it's 1:30 a.m., and I just want to sleep, so what the hey. Reviews are very much appreciated, even if they're just to prove that you saw this story and it wasn't buried in all the others.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** At long last, we finally get to a chapter that doesn't spoil any episodes, unless you count the existence of Gavin and Piper. I'm really sorry if the second chapter really pissed you off if you were hoping to not having anything spoiled because half of the dialogue was from upcoming episodes. From here on out, my story will diverge much more from what the show will probably be, so we won't have to worry about so many spoilers anymore.

At any rate, **this chapter contains no material from upcoming episodes or major spoilers and is safe to read.** Piper's ex (mentioned in the last chapter) is strictly of my own invention, for reasons that will be eventually be revealed, so please don't throw tomatoes if the episode comes out and she does in fact have a jerkwad ex.

Before we begin, I want to make it known that there's really only so much angsty Austin I can take because it's kind of hard to reconcile a heartbroken Austin who mopes around all the time with the Disney version, who usually cheers up moments later because of the comic relief Dez and Trish provide. So there should be a lot less angsty Austin after this chapter.

As always, I do not and never will own _Austin & Ally_. I also don't own _The Lego Movie_.

* * *

"So…how was your not-date with Piper Tuesday night?"

It was Sunday, and Austin and Ally were seated at the piano in the practice room. It was their second songwriting session since the whole Gavin thing had started, but Austin would be lying if he said things were back to normal on this front.

The previous Sunday had been Gavin's and Ally's "one-monthiversary," and Austin had tinkered away fruitlessly at the piano upstairs and wondered for half an hour if Ally had forgotten about their session, seeing as they hadn't had a proper one in a month. The couple had eventually returned, Gavin apologizing profusely to Austin and promising that they'd be back in a timelier manner and even offering to move dates to Friday nights instead so as not to conflict with Austin-and-Ally time. And then Austin felt bad for hating Gavin because he really was a great guy, always making an effort to get along with Ally's friends and consider their feelings.

He felt especially bad after Tuesday night, when Piper had explained that she felt more resentment towards her ex-boyfriend than toward the girl with whom he'd cheated. After all, the other girl didn't _force_ the jerkwad to dump Piper; that had been _his_ choice, and he chose to act like a douchebag. Piper's situation wasn't exactly a parallel to Austin's, but he'd spent the next few days reflecting that maybe his hatred toward Gavin had been hasty and misguided. The guy had never intentionally done anything to hurt him, and he really was good for Ally.

But unlike Piper, he couldn't place any blame on his ex, either. It had been a year since he and Ally had broken up, after a mere handful of days together. It would take Crazy-Stalker-Brooke levels of possessive entitlement to expect Ally to wait for him and never ever date anyone else and deprive herself of happiness until, by some miracle, pigs started flying and zebras starting existing and Austin and Ally finally figured out how to act professional while maintaining a steady relationship.

Yeah, right.

The obviously better option would be to let her go and try to be happy for the sake of his own sanity. Besides, part of him still loved Ally as a platonic friend. He would just need to revive that part of him and relearn the art of being content with still playing a major part in her life, but just not in a romantic way.

And of course, as Ally had just reminded him, he had really hit it off with Piper on their non-date last week. She hadn't agreed to his movie date idea yet, but they'd been texting a lot, and he may or may not have gone straight to the beach club after school several days in a row to hang out with her.

So he shrugged and replied, "It was all right."

"_Just_ all right?"

There was something in Ally's tone that he didn't particularly like, but he couldn't figure it out. "Uh, yeah. Just all right. It was kind of awkward at first because she was still mad at me, but we smoothed it out."

"Ah. I waved at you guys while you were there, but I don't think you saw me. Piper seems nice, though."

"Wait. You guys were _spying_ on me?"

"No!" she replied quickly. He raised an eyebrow. "Okay, fine, yes, I was there. But it was just Gavin and I. Gavin happened to take me out to Shredder's last night. Besides, why would I wave at you if I didn't want you to see me? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of spying?"

"Okay then…"

A breeze swept in through the open window just then, ruffling the pages of Ally's songbook. She saw him looking and hastily slammed it shut. "Don't look at my book!"

He scoffed. "Please, as if we don't all know about the mushy things you write about Gavin in there."

He'd meant it as lighthearted teasing, but there was a flash of panic across Ally's face. "Um, right. Because that's…exactly what I was writing in my book. You're with Piper, and I'm with Gavin, and he's absolutely great. Yup!"

Okay, something was definitely up.

"Ally, come on. What's going on? And how did Piper get into this conversation?"

"N-nothing. Nothing is going on. Let's just work on the song."

"Do you really expect me to believe that? Because one, you're not looking at me. And two, you're holding the book up to hide your face. What's going on?"

Ally sighed. "It's nothing important, Austin. I haven't quite figured it out myself, but I promise you I'll tell you if I feel like it's something you need to know, okay? Now what do you think of this tune?"

And that was the end of that conversation. But as Austin watched Ally biting her lip and demonstrating a melody, some wild, irrational hope that he thought he'd killed off—that she was reconsidering her relationship with Gavin—stirred again. And he realized he _wanted_ her to tell him to break off…whatever it was he had going on with Piper. Ally hadn't seemed particularly happy when Trish had advised him to chase after Piper at the mall on Tuesday, and she'd seemed kind of eager to know how his "not-date" had gone…

Then he came to his senses. He still liked Ally. But Ally was dating Gavin. And it wouldn't be fair to Piper if he dated her while he still had feelings for Ally…

The obvious solution was to get over Ally.

But what if she was doubting her relationship with Gavin? That would certainly throw a wrench into Operation Move On Already…

"Um, Ally? Why does this song sound so sad?"

"What are you talking about? It's not sad-sounding." She played the chords again experimentally. "Huh, I guess it is. I don't know…sorry, Austin. I can't seem to get in the mood to write your style of music today."

Oh.

Come to think of it, they hadn't written anything together in a while now. First there had been that month of canceled sessions. Then last week, Ally was half an hour late, and she spent a majority of the rest of their session sending cute little texts back and forth with Gavin. And today, she just seemed kind of out of it.

"Do you want to take a break then?"

She shook her head. "No, no, we should keep working on this song."

"Okay, well, what do we have so far?"

"Considering that the tune I played just now was too sad…a blank page. We have to start from scratch. Got any ideas?"

He shrugged. "We don't _have_ to write a song for me if you're not in the mood for it. The tune was sad, but it was still good. Maybe we could turn it into a song for you."

She made a face. "Austin, we've already finished all the songs for my album. I still have to find time to go to the studio and record them for Ronnie, on top of publicity stuff and getting my name out there. Let's not waste time on yet another song for me when my first album isn't even coming out for a few more months."

"Okay, but we've wasted half a songwriting session and gotten nothing accomplished today."

"I'm really sorry. I wish I could help you, but I'm just…all out of inspiration right now."

"But you're Ally Dawson! You don't just run out of ideas for songs."

She shrugged, still not meeting his gaze.

"Are you feeling okay? Is there something bothering you? You know you can tell me anything, right? We're still best friends, even though we haven't hung out in a while."

Ally was silent for a long time. Finally, she sighed. "It's complicated, and I'm not entirely sure how to say this…it involves Gavin."

Was she having second thoughts? Austin felt his chest swell with hope and had to remind himself that this was no time to celebrate. Ally needed him to be a supportive friend, not someone to snatch her up the moment she gave any indication of possibly being available.

"Oh no! What happened? Did you guys get in a fight?"

She shook her head quickly. "He's great, actually. It's just that sometimes, I'm not—I think…well, I might have made a mis—"

She was cut off by her phone ringing. Casting Austin an apologetic look, she moved to the corner of the room to answer. "Hello? _Gavin!_" She perked up instantly. "I've missed you! It's good to hear from you again!"

And then Austin slumped down in his seat, feeling like an idiot for getting his stupid hopes up.

_You have NO chance with Ally. How many more times do you need to be reminded that?_

It was even more painfully obvious when the phone call dragged on indefinitely, eating away at precious Austin-and-Ally time, and Ally plopped down in an armchair to get comfortable, clearly not intending to get anything done songwriting-wise in the ten minutes they had left.

He was third-wheeling when the two other people weren't even in the same room. How pathetic was that?

And then, like some kind of godsend, his phone vibrated with a text.

_To: Austin  
From: Piper  
3:55 p.m.  
I thought about it. How about that movie date? Tonight?_

Well, that sure made choosing between two girls a lot easier. _Gee, do you want the one that doesn't want you, or the one who finally agreed to a date after you asked her three times?_

Austin Moon was no masochist.

_From: Austin  
To: Piper  
3:56 p.m.  
Sure. The Lego Movie's showing at the movie theater in the mall at 6:30. Dinner at 5, Melody Diner?_

A pause. Then she replied,

_To: Austin  
From: Piper  
3:58 p.m.  
See you there._

He glanced across the practice room. Ally was still chatting animatedly with Gavin.

He checked his phone clock. 3:59 p.m. The songwriting session was basically over, and he only had an hour to get ready for his date, so he decided to gather his things and leave without disturbing her.

She wouldn't notice anyway.

* * *

"So." Piper smirked at him from across their booth after their waiter had left after singing, "_Here's your meal, and here's your drinks. Gimme a holler if you need anything,"_ to the tune of what they recognized as chorus of one of Austin's earliest hits ("The Summer Song").

"First date in forever, huh?"

He clutched his chest in mock-hurt. "Piper! Are you doubting my datability? I'm a world-famous popstar!"

"Who looks like Ralphie Hayes the dog food guy. And appears on TV as _the Mattress Prince. _And flirts like a living, breathing example of How Not To Flirt."

"It worked, though, didn't it? I mean, here we are."

"Very funny. You're just trying to get me to admit why I agreed to this date, aren't you?"

He ducked his head. "Guilty as charged. You don't have to tell me if it's too personal," he added hastily. "We can save that for another date."

"And what makes you think there's going to be another date?" To his relief, Piper's tone was lighthearted and teasing, nothing like it had been Tuesday night when she aired out her (figurative) dirty laundry. "What if that crazy _Cheetah Beat_ reporter pops up out of nowhere again and corners us, and I decide it's too much of a hassle dating a _world-famous popstar_?"

"Hey, don't look at me. _You're_ the superhero who scared Megan off last time. Besides, she can't be older than—what, ten? It's a Sunday night. She'll be too busy getting ready for school tomorrow and being forced to go to bed early. And I talked to the manager here on my way in. Mindy kind of owes me a few favors, so she agreed to scare off any crazy reporters and, um, overzealous fans that do show."

"And just _what_ would you do without all these girls to protect you from paparazzi and groupies?"

"Probably curl up in a corner somewhere and lament my lonely, dateless existence."

Piper laughed then—a genuine, non-snarky laugh—and he felt his grin widen at the sound. So she preferred self-deprecating, pancake-loving Austin Monica Moon over Austin Moon, darling of the pop music scene…

"I love my music, and I love what I do, but all the attention does get kind of overwhelming sometimes," he admitted. "But I could never have the guts to scare them off like you did with Megan."

It was Piper's turn to look sheepish. "What? She was being annoying, and you guys looked terrified, so I stepped in. You're not wimpy; you're just too nice." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "If it helps, we don't have to tell people that you were playing the damsel-in-distress role when we met. We could say you were…I don't know, wrestling wildebeests with your bare hands."

He made a face. "Please, let's not. The last time my friends made up a story about me for the press, I wound up eating crickets. And then I had to sing 'The Butterfly Song' all night."

She laughed. "Okay, then we can just tell people that we met when _you_ rescued _me_ from a ten-year-old who could have potentially made me go blind."

"But that wouldn't be fair to you. And people wouldn't believe us anyway. You're not afraid of anything!"

Piper prodded her chicken pot pie with her fork and mumbled something.

"What's that?"

She sighed. "And that's where you're wrong."

Anther thing he'd learned about Piper: She didn't take compliments well.

"…Okay, fine, you're not afraid of anything besides your jerk of an ex," he amended.

"Wrong again. I'm not afraid of him; I'm afraid of getting back into the modeling business. He's part of the reason I quit, but that's another story for another day."

Oh. "So you're saying, if it weren't for him, you'd still be pursuing your dreams of modeling?"

"…Maybe. I don't know. Sometimes I wish I could go back, but most of the time, I think I prefer surfing over modeling…for other reasons I don't feel like getting into on the first date." She paused. "Gosh, I sound so secretive. Sorry, Austin. It's not that I don't want to talk about it; it's just that it'll take a while to explain, and then we'll probably miss the movie altogether. And I have a feeling you'd rather watch _The Lego Movie_ than listen to me unpacking all this emotional baggage."

"Nah, it's cool. Whatever your reasons are, I'm willing to bet they can't be more ridiculous or embarrassing than why I used to have an umbrella phobia."

"Wow. Now _that_ sounds like a story for the ages. How did you ever manage to hide that from the press?"

He shrugged. "I was just starting out back then, so not that many people cared to know at the time, I guess. But seriously, if you're ever up for getting over that fear, I can have Trish look into fashion shows for you."

"I appreciate that, but can we not talk business on a date? This is kind of weird."

"Oh, right. Of course." He checked the time, then looked around for their waiter. "Come on, let's get the check. We've got a movie to catch…"

* * *

Dez was waiting in the driveway when Austin drove Piper home from the mall after the movie.

"Hi, buddy! Hi, Piper!" he called through the passenger window. "Austin, can I have a ride home? Carrie's too busy with homework to give me a ride."

"Sure, Dez. But, uh, can you give us a minute here?"

"Aw, but I wanna hear how your date went! What movie did you two see? Did you put your arm around her while it was playing? Did the Melody Diner add any new appetizers to the menu? Oh, and speaking of which…Piper, please don't hate me, but, uh, the goat might have eaten part of your bedspread when Carrie and I weren't paying atten—"

(Piper rolled up her window.)

Austin cleared his throat. "So…uh, I had a good time tonight."

Piper turned in her seat to face him. "Yeah, me too. The movie was great."

"Do…do you think we could do this again some time?"

"Maybe."

"Okay. So, I'll call you…?"

"Sure."

She made no move to get out of the car, though. It was probably because Dez was still waving at them from outside, but then again, it looked like she was waiting for him to say or do something.

Wait.

He swallowed nervously. "You, uh, you don't kiss on the first date, do you? I haven't actually kissed that many girls before, so I might not be very good at it if you're expecting a kiss because I'm more of a hugger, and…"

He trailed off, heart racing, as Piper rolled her eyes, leaning over the gearshift and pressing a quick peck to his cheek. "There. That's wasn't so bad, was it? Good night, Austin."

Dez smirked as he climbed into the car. "I take it it went well?"

Piper waved from her window upstairs as Austin pulled out of the driveway. "Yup."

"I figured it might have. You're smiling the smile you usually get when you're hanging out with Ally."

Huh. That reminded him…

They drove for a few more minutes in silence. Then,

"Dez?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think Ally even came across my mind tonight until you brought her up just now. I…I think I'm actually getting over her."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter was shorter than usual. It was originally part of chapter 2 but was too much, so I turned it into a filler and deleted half of it because I hated it. The next one should be much longer and better. And it'll have more Dez and Trish in it because I love those two and realized they haven't appeared in a while. Also, we're long overdue for some Auslly.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry this one took twice as long to update. Super-long to make up for the delay. We're finally seeing Ally's thoughts, and I had a little trouble with that part (mostly because I can't believe she just _moved on_ like that). This is a really, _really_ long chapter that I probably (_really_) should have cut in two. Oh well.

I'd like to extend a virtual hug to the guest reviewer who goes by the name of "A." Thanks for sticking with me through every chapter. Your review was probably one of the sweetest I've ever gotten, and I really appreciate it. (My guess as to why I'm not getting many reviews? It's probably because people didn't want to read this at least until after "Hunks and Homecoming" came out. Or maybe it's just not a very interesting setup. It's okay, though. I'm writing this story to get the Auslly feels out of my system. The reviews are just a bonus.)

**This chapter has a fashion show in it and is inspired by "Fashion Shows and First Impressions," but it doesn't really spoil anything important from the episode, **mostly because the clips I saw would make absolutely no sense in the context of this fic. (For the record, I have no idea in which episode "Superhero" is actually going to premiere.)

Also, someone drops an F-bomb. The story _is_ rated T.

As always, I'm a broke college student. I would not be a broke college student if I did own _Austin & Ally_. But I am a broke college student.

* * *

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
3:23 p.m.  
So has Piper agreed to go steady yet?_

Austin cringed at the buzzing sound his phone made against the piano bench and glanced around furtively. Normally, Ally would yell at Austin for texting during a songwriting session and then confiscate the device for the rest of the day.

But things hadn't been normal for a while now. It was yet another Sunday session, and Ally was once again on the phone with Gavin. Austin tried not to hold it against her, though. After all, it _was_ their six-weekiversary.

But as he listened to them going "You say bye first!" "No, _you_ say bye!" Austin couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be the new status quo. He shows up to practice on time; Ally talks to Gavin for the entire session; they call it a day without having accomplished anything; repeat every week.

At any rate, Ally didn't seem to even notice that Austin was on his phone during Austin-and-Ally(-and-Gavin) time, so he quickly replied,

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
3:25 p.m.  
No. But we did go on another date on Friday, and she said she'd think about it._

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
3:26 p.m.  
Have you considered speeding up her thinking process with…idk a big romantic gesture?_

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
3:28 p.m.  
Hello?_

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
3.31 p.m.  
Sorry, I put my phone on silent so Ally wouldn't hear it every time you texted me._

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
3:32  
Ah. Carrie and I were wondering if you wanted to double date after school tomorrow. Olive Garden?_

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
3:32 p.m.  
Sounds awesome! I'll ask Piper._

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
3:33 p.m.  
I just had the craziest idea! Why don't you sing Piper a love song on our double date? You're sure to win her over then!_

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
3:34 p.m.  
But Ally's too busy talking to Gavin to write a love song for me to sing._

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
3:36 p.m.  
So write it yourself. Gtg, the goat's fighting with the alpaca._

Austin shook his head in bewilderment as he read Dez's text. Write a love song? On his own? From _scratch_?

He sighed and tapped a few keys, all the while reliving nightmares of the Pioneer Ranger Song. What was he even going to write about? Somehow, he doubted Piper would appreciate it if he called her the "butter on top of his pancake stack."

Then his fingers settled on a melody, and he sat up ramrod straight.

Wait.

_DEDE…DEDE…_

_Superhero…superhero…_

No, that wasn't quite right.

_DEDE…CCCCDEDE…_

_Superhero…let me be your superhero…_

Perfect!

…

Crap. He'd left his songbook at home. Not perfect.

Austin bit his lip and shot a furtive glance across the practice room. Ally was still twirling her hair and giggling at something Gavin had said. ("Aw, you're so sweet," she gushed. "I love you, too!") Maybe he could make a sneak escape…

* * *

"Okay, I'll see you soon! Love you, gorgeous!"

"Bye, Gavin!"

Ally blushed and ended the call. He was just so amazing, what with caring enough to ask how her day went, then sharing with her every last detail of his day, then postponing the work he was doing for his record so that he could be at her fashion show next weekend… Whenever she was with him—even if it was just over the phone—everything seemed perfect, and all was right in the world. No stress, no work, no responsibilities…

Then her eyes widened. It was 3:40 on a Sunday afternoon. She was supposed to be writing with Austin!

She'd felt an immediate stab of guilt the previous week after she'd finally ended her call with Gavin and noticed that Austin had left. She'd been meaning to make up for the time she'd wasted, but it just never seemed to come up when she talked to Austin.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since they'd done any writing together. She hoped Austin wouldn't get into trouble with Jimmy Starr for not turning out any new songs lately. She already felt terrible enough for the month of canceled sessions…

Fortunately, she and Gavin had hung up with twenty minutes to spare.

"Sorry about that, Austin. Gavin wanted to take me to the science museum next weekend, and then I got distracted because we were talking about…Austin?"

He was on his way out the door.

"Austin, where are you going?" She reached the practice room door just as he made it to the bottom of the stairs. "We're supposed to be working on your songs!"

"Sorry, Ally! Inspiration calls! I have to go write a song!"

And then he was gone.

"…Wait, what?"

* * *

Two days later, she'd just gotten home after a two-hour-long jam session on the piano with Gavin in the Sonic Boom practice room, looking forward to a nice hot shower before a romantic dinner date, when Trish called.

"Hey, Ally!" Trish chirped when she answered.

Ally sighed with relief. Trish didn't seem so mad at her anymore, and boy, was she ever thankful for that. No one got on Trish de la Rosa's bad side and survived for long. "Hey, Trish! It's good to hear from you."

"Just thought I'd call to catch up, since you've been busy with Gavin and all. Hey—Austin, Dez, Carrie, Piper, and I are going to hit up Phil's Fun Town tonight to celebrate. Want to join so I don't have to be a fifth wheel?"

"To celebrate what?"

"Wait, you haven't heard? Girl, have you been living under a rock all day?"

"Trish, what are you talking about? What's happened?"

"Austin wrote a song all by himself—from scratch this time—and it's really, _really good._ It's been blowing up all over the internet since last night! If you haven't heard it, you _have_ to check it out now!"

So he really _had_ been writing a song when he bolted on Sunday.

"What's it called?" Her curiosity piqued, Ally decided her shower could wait.

"'Superhero,'" Trish replied. "Hang on a sec…"

There were some muffled noises on the other end, and then Dez got on the line. "Hey, Ally, if you're planning to come with us, we're grabbing a group dinner at Champy's and then heading right over to Phil's Fun Town afterwards."

Unbidden, an image of herself and Trish (and Jace-in-a-myTAB) sitting off to the side while Austin and Dez gazed adoringly across a table at Piper and Carrie flashed across Ally's mind.

"Er, no thanks. I've got dinner plans with Gavin tonight."

"_Okay_," Trish replied in the background, not actually seeming to mind fifth-wheeling. "_But seriously, check out that song!"_

Somewhere else in the background, Austin yelled, "_Have fun on your date!"_

And then the call ended.

Well, she had always been and always would be an Austin Moon fan. What kind of fan would she be if she didn't at least check out his latest song before the fervor died down?

She pulled up MyTewb on her phone, typing "austin moon superhero" into the search bar.

The first result had over 5 million views. Uploaded yesterday at 8 p.m. by a "dez_directs_things." Yep, that would be it.

Austin had set up his own official MyTewb channel shortly after Starr Records had signed him, but dez_directs_things had been where it all began, back when "Double Take" first took off and when the kangaroo attacked Lester Dawson. The boys (Dez in particular) were too sentimental to abandon the channel for the more popular "official" one, so they would occasionally post a vlog to keep longtime fans updated.

But now, seeing as the view count for "Superhero" had added another 100,000 views since Ally first opened the page (faster than that of any of the music videos—for songs Ally had written for him—on his official channel), it was evident that fans were definitely still keeping tabs on Dez's old channel. Maybe they should switch back to posting music videos on that one… Was it possible to "break" MyTewb the way Helen's selfie had broken Tweeter at the Oscars?

Then the video stopped buffering, and Ally hit "play."

The camera shook a little as someone (Dez?) set it up. Austin was sitting on his couch at home, wearing a blazer and a loosened necktie, his hair sticking up at strange angles as he nervously ran his hands through it.

"_Hey, everyone! It's me again, Austin Moon. It's been a while since I posted anything on this channel, so I thought I'd give everyone a quick update. Last time, I think I mentioned that I've got my old songwriter back. Roxie was great, but…um, circumstances happened, and she had to move back to Sweden. It's awesome to have Ally back, though—she's releasing her first record in a couple months, so be on the lookout for that._

"_Anyway, last week, I met a girl. She's pretty, funny, sarcastic, and all around an amazing person. I wanted to show her that she's important to me, and I've been working on a new song, so I'm going to sing it to her at dinner tonight in..." _(he checked his watch)_ "…about half an hour. Let's hope she likes it!"_

The screen briefly blacked out, and then the camera was shaking as Dez seemed to be hiding it under his jacket while whispering, "_Okay, so now we're in Olive Garden, and she doesn't suspect a thing yet. Austin's over there talking to the manager, and—"_

Carrie's voice interrupted, hissing_, "Dez, quick! He's coming over now!"_

The camera swung around wildly (Dez was probably leaping out of the booth to find a good angle to record whatever was going on) before it righted and focused on Austin, his necktie straightened and hair slightly tamer now, as he strolled across the restaurant while strumming the opening chords on his guitar.

Then Dez panned across the room (while grumbling under his breath about the horrible lighting in Olive Garden before Carrie shushed him), past all the patrons who were either fangirling like crazy or starting to crowd around and record everything on their phones, and settled on Piper's shocked expression.

And then Austin reached their table and started to sing,

"_Sometimes love's a scary place.  
It's like standing in the dark,  
flying through the universe,  
trying to fix your broken heart…"_

The lyrics were pretty good. Austin had really outdone himself.

…okay, so maybe the first verse seemed a little too personal. What did he mean by Piper "trying to fix her broken heart"? He hadn't mentioned anything about Piper's past when he'd told Ally about her. He must have gotten Piper to open up pretty well over the course of knowing her for only a week…

That was cool.

"_Let me be your superhero,  
there isn't a place I won't go  
whenever you need me by your side,  
I'll be there…"_

He was looking Piper right in the eye, like he wasn't even aware that all eyes were on him or that he was leaking his next big hit on MyTewb (and would probably lose a lot of money from people illegally downloading "Superhero" instead of buying it once he had properly recorded it), like she was the only thing in the room that mattered to him, like he would abstain from his favorite flavor of pancakes _just for Piper_.

The video ended once the applause started, without catching Piper's reaction and without any epilogue or commentary from Austin or Dez, and Ally had to sit down for a moment to sort out her suddenly conflicted emotions.

Of course, she was proud of Austin. He'd just written a song all by himself! And completely from scratch, too, without Ally pitching him a single tune or lyric. And Trish hadn't been exaggerating when she'd raved that it was "really_, really good._" He'd definitely come a long way since "_I need a song, it can't be too long, song song song song song song song…"_ And this was a guy who couldn't even spell his feelings out ("I'm feeling…feelings…") when he first started out, preferring fun and lighthearted dance numbers to, well, slow and soulful love songs like "Superhero."

Yet, Ally couldn't help but feel a strange twist in her stomach whenever she remembered the way he'd looked at Piper when he sang. He hadn't told Ally anything about Piper since the "not-date," when he'd just shrugged and said it was "fine." She didn't even know he was that serious about her! How long had they been official? Why didn't Austin tell her? Or were they even in a relationship?

Ally was so preoccupied that she didn't realize she'd dialed Gavin's number until he picked up. "Hey, Ally-wally! What's up? Ready for our dinner date?"

"Gavin, I'm really, really sorry…"

What was going on? Why were the words tumbling out of her mouth like she was hearing someone else say them? Why was she biting her lip so hard that she tasted blood? Her mouth felt dry. Maybe she should get some water…

"…but I don't feel so good right now. I think…I think I'm going to have to cancel on our date tonight."

Why did she say that? He was going to take her to _A La Mour_ **[1] **for their six-weekiversary date! Granted, it was a little belated, since she had been too busy on both Sunday and Monday, but it was a romantic French restaurant _and_ a play on words all in one, for crying out loud!

Gavin seemed more concerned that she wasn't feeling all right than upset about their canceled reservation, though. "Do you want me to come over? I can make soup. And I'll bring a bunch of movies, and we can watch them all night instead. Or maybe I can bring a bunch of blankets so you can be comfortable, and I'll make hot chocolate—"

"No, no, it's fine. I just…want to be alone for a bit. I think I'll go to sleep early." She wasn't in the mood to be fussed over, even if it meant spending more time with her perfect, beloved boyfriend.

He relented, wishing her sweet dreams, and they hung up.

Ally was making her way up to her room when she noticed that the MyTewb app was still open on her phone. The "suggested video" caught her attention.

"Austin Moon EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – Superhero," posted two hours ago on the official _Wanda Watson Show_ channel.

For a split second, Ally was angry. (_Austin got interviewed again by _THE Wanda Watson,_ and he didn't tell me?_)

Then she remembered that 1) she'd been busy hanging out with Gavin this afternoon, which was evidently when the interview had taken place, and 2) it wasn't like she'd helped Austin write the song anyway, so there was no need for her to know about it or be there.

Was it selfish of her to wish Austin still wrote terrible songs so she could still write for him?

The same unknown force that had induced her to cancel on Gavin was now guiding her finger to the "play" button, despite the nagging voice in her head that was whispering, "If you watch that video instead of going to bed, you'll be lying to the _best boyfriend in the world_…"

Too late.

"_And we're back now with Starr Records recording artist Austin Moon, here to get the latest on his new hit 'Superhero.' Austin, thank you for joining me today. It's nice to have you back on the show."_

"_Thanks for having me, Wanda," _Austin replied.

"_Anyway, for all of our viewers out there who don't know yet, Austin has just beaten his old record! 'Double Take,' the viral video that started it all back in 2012 and turned Austin Moon into an overnight internet sensation, hit two million views on MyTewb over the course of two days. But this latest hit—'Superhero'—posted to MyTewb last night, has already passed _five million_ views, and it hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet. How do you feel about that, Austin?"_

"_Well, to be honest, I was completely shocked. I owe a lot of it to my fans, especially the ones who have stuck with me on this crazy ride since 'Double Take.' If they hadn't noticed or shared my little homemade video in the first place, my life would be very different today."_

Austin waited for the studio audience to calm down before continuing, "_But I owe most of my success to my songwriter and best friend, Ally Dawson—" (_Ally's heart cooed. So he hadn't forgotten about her after all!) _"—for believing in me and giving me another chance when—I'll be honest—I acted like a total weasel and accidentally stole her song when we first met. She's taught me a lot about music and songwriting since, and I could never have made it without her."_

"_Now, about 'Superhero.' How _did_ you come up with that hit song? And where can fans look for it?"_ Oh, sure, Wanda. Just completely ignore his answers and plough forward with the questions.

"_Well, it won't come out for a while yet, in case people are wondering where they can get it. See, I haven't recorded it yet because I wrote it for this girl, Piper… She's…uh, I don't know, it's like I can't express how I feel about her in words—like, I knew I wanted to write her a song, but I didn't want it to be any generic love song, you know? So, yeah, there are some lyrics that are a little more personal that only she and I will understand…I hope my fans don't mind."_

"_I'm sure it'll be fine. Tell us what inspired you to write it about being this girl's superhero. And I'm quoting from the lyrics here: It goes, '_Take a chance that someone else is gonna swoop in and save the day_,' and '_Take off your mask, let down your guard, don't need a symbol on your chest. It's all right for once to play the damsel in distress_._'"

"_See, it's actually a really cute story. We met last week at the beach when I was getting cornered by the paparazzi. And then, out of nowhere, this girl shows up, and…"_

Ally suppressed that strange twinge again, noticing the way Austin's expression was _absolutely glowing_ as he talked about how he met his "superhero."

Suddenly, she hated those two words.

_Best friend_.

Then Wanda asked, _"…So are you and this girl—Piper—official now?"_

"_Yup! I sang her the song last night when we were at Olive Garden. Dez—that's my friend who directs all my music videos—recorded the whole thing, but it accidentally cut off right before I asked her to be my girlfriend."_

There were a few groans from the studio audience, and Austin ducked his head sheepishly. He proceeded to answer a few more questions about his new relationship with Piper, and then the interview drew to a close.

There it was again, that strange burning feeling in her chest. She headed over to Tweeter. "Ausper" was trending—go figure—along with… "Darrie"? "Trace"? Were those ship names for Dez/Carrie and Trish/Jace? How had the press even managed to track down Trish de la Rosa's mysterious "not-in-Miami" boyfriend?

"Gally" was mentioned in a twit or two, but the fervor seemed to have died down after a week.

…And no one uttered a peep about "Auslly." For some reason, that bothered her more than any other bit of news she'd received tonight since Trish's fateful phone call. No one cared enough to even ask, "Will things be weird now between you and Ally, since, you know, you're music partners, but you're both busy with your own relationships now?"

Never mind any mention of _their_ relationship. It was like it had never happened.

She felt like she'd swallowed a brick. Or been punched in the stomach. Probably both.

Did Austin's fans simply like Piper better than Ally? Did people care so little about "Auslly" that they completely forgot it had ever existed? Was that what she was, as the ex-girlfriend of a year now? Ancient history?

Was it so long ago in the minds of their fans that the elements had crumbled any memory of "Auslly" to dust and scattered them into oblivion?

Ally sighed, setting her phone face-down on the nightstand and curling up in her comforter.

* * *

She woke up a few hours later to half a dozen text messages from Gavin and one missed call from Trish.

She still wasn't in the mood to be fussed over, and the prospect of texting back and forth with Gavin into the wee hours of morning just didn't seem all that appealing tonight. It was still a reasonable time for a school night though, so she called her best friend back.

"Hey, Ally! How was your date with Gavin tonight? Did he take you somewhere special for your six-weekiversary?"

Oh, right. That.

"Actually, Trish, I wasn't feeling so good after you guys called, so I canceled on the date and just went to sleep. How was Phil's Fun Town?"

"Eh, Jace couldn't really enjoy the roller coasters because watching a myTAB camera shake around and listening to the boys' girly screams while we rode them just wasn't the same as riding them himself, you know? But we had fun. Turns out, both Carrie and Piper are really good shots with a water gun. I had to hide my myTAB in my backpack to keep it from getting water-damaged because Dez was being an idiot and using me as a human shield, so Jace missed out on a lot of the action."

"Aw, that's too bad for Jace. Hey—maybe we can get him to come down and visit for prom, and then you can take him to Phil's Fun Town to experience it for himself."

"Maybe. I mean, I've been working extra hours at Shredder's so I can get promoted to a better-paying position. Sheesh, bus fares are _expensive_."

"Yeah… Anyway, I'm sorry I missed your call when I was asleep earlier. Did you need anything?"

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot—Austin needs to be at Starr Records' studios to record and shoot a proper music video for 'Superhero' this coming weekend, so he's not going to be able to make it to your songwriting session Sunday."

"Oh." Well, okay, to be fair, 'Superhero' was really good, so it wasn't like they urgently needed to turn out some hits soon. It only made sense to give him a break. Ally swallowed the lump that was starting to form in her throat. "Will he—will he still be able to make it to my modeling debut Saturday?"

"Doubtful. Jimmy really wants this song recorded and officially released before more people pirate it."

"Oh." The lump she'd swallowed seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable, seeing as it had just joined the brick from earlier and worsened the tangles in her stomach.

"You okay? I mean, it's not like you had anything important to work on with him that couldn't wait, right?"

"N-no. I'm, uh—it's okay."

"C'mon, Ally, you know better than to hide anything from me. Something's bothering you. Now spit it out."

Was there any point in playing dumb? Ally sighed. "I just feel like…Austin doesn't need me around much anymore."

"Wait, but you guys are practically attached at the hip! What do you mean?"

…Was Trish being sarcastic? Or was she genuinely surprised? Ally shook her head and continued on.

"Well, we haven't really hung out or written anything together in over a month, and he doesn't talk to me about…stuff as much as he used to. In fact, he hasn't talked to me about, well, anything in a while now. Like, I didn't even know there was anything serious going on between him and Piper until tonight. And there's that other thing: He ditched me halfway through our songwriting session last Sunday to go write 'Superhero.' And he didn't even tell me that he'd written another hit song or appeared on _The Wanda Watson Show_ or anything! Like, for him to have something this amazing happen to him and not share it with me—"

"So let me get this straight," Trish interrupted. "You've been too busy with your crazy schedule and your new boyfriend to make time for Austin for a month now, and now you're mad at him because he has a life of his own?"

"…Okay, now that you put it that way, it does sound kind of bad," Ally conceded. "But I'm not working with Gavin anymore, so shouldn't we be back to our regular Austin-and-Ally time now? Shouldn't I have a right to be a _little_ annoyed with him for literally walking out of our songwriting session to write a song without me?" Shouldn't she also have a right to expect some sympathy from her best friend of thirteen years?

Apparently not. "Um…weren't _you_ the one who canceled on Austin or gabbed on the phone non-stop with Gavin every time?"

"Yeah, but that's beside the point—wait, how did you know? Did Austin tell you that? Why didn't he just _talk_ to me?"

"Ally. Come on. Do you really think Austin's the kind of guy who would demand that you stop talking to your boyfriend and write a song for him? No matter how rude you were being to him? Besides, he's one of _my_ best friends, too. He couldn't just confront you, so of course he would talk to me about it."

The _nerve_ of this girl! She was supposed to listen to her vent, not point out her faults at every opportunity. "Well, as Austin's _best_ best friend _and_ music partner, I think I should be higher on his list of priorities!" Ally snapped.

"Right. Just like Austin and I were high on _your _list of priorities when you started crushing on Gavin and didn't tell either of _us_," Trish shot back.

Oh, so she was _still_ bitter about that. Fine. Two could play that game.

"Right, just like _you_ told all of us about Jace and you having a thing while we were on tour."

"Please, even _Dez_ saw something going on. The point is, _no_, you _don't_ get special treatment from Austin just because you used to write his songs. Not when you're, unintentionally or not, rubbing your _perfect_ relationship with Gavin in Austin's face. I get that you were busy writing songs for three people last month, but you don't get to ignore Austin and then expect him to stick around and shower all his attention on you."

Was that what she'd been doing? Ally mentally ran through the course of the past few weeks. She'd canceled four sessions to make time for Gavin…and kicked Austin out of Sonic Boom for knocking over the cymbals…then she'd nearly forgotten to show up the following week because she'd lost track of time at the pickle factory…then Gavin called the week after that, and Austin had left by the time she hung up…and then Gavin called again during the latest session…

When Ally didn't reply, Trish continued, "Besides, Austin really, really likes Piper. Even if you hadn't been ignoring him, it still would have been awkward for him to have to write 'Superhero' with you because he'd have to talk to one girl about feelings he has for another girl. Remember how well that worked with Cassidy? Now calm down, Ally. Wouldn't do to break a nail or tear your hair out. The fashion show's in four days."

That did it. Ally had been preparing to apologize all over the place for ignoring Austin, but when Trish said _that_… That did it. No more Miss Nice Ally.

"I can't _believe_ you're not taking my side! How about this? If Piper is so wonderful, then why don't you sign her up for my fashion show? We'll see who's the better actress, singer, songwriter, and model then!"

"…Have you taken any antacid for that heartburn lately?"

Wait, what? "I am _not_ jealous!"

"Whatever you say."

"I'm not jealous, and you can enter Piper into my fashion show, and I'll prove it!"

"Well, then, maybe I will."

"Fine."

"Fine. And when Gavin finds out you've been acting like Austin's _witch_ of an ex-girlfriend—" (Trish didn't actually say _witch_) "—and your _ZOMG perfect_ relationship explodes like a potato in a microwave, don't say I _didn't tell you so!"_

Ally meant to hang up on Trish midsentence, but she had to settle for waiting for her phone screen to light up so she could jab angrily at the "end call" button.

It was much less satisfying than slamming down one of those old-fashioned cord telephones.

Of course, being Ally, it took her no more than thirty seconds to feel immensely guilty about ditching Austin and lashing out at Trish for calling her out for it.

She tried dialing Austin, but the line was busy, and he was probably talking to _Piper_ because he didn't put her on hold to answer Ally's call.

She waited a few minutes and redialed, but it was still busy.

Trish's phone rang and rang before directing her to voicemail, so Ally gave up after the fifth try.

The fiery Latina's parting words, something about Ally's relationship with Gavin exploding should he ever find out about Ally's jealousy, were still rattling around in Ally's skull, so she decided to skip calling him.

That left…Dez.

Drat. It was well past midnight now. She would have to catch him tomorrow.

* * *

Things were very awkward at school on Wednesday.

The day started with Trish stonily ignoring Ally when they were at their lockers, unfortunately located in such close proximity that it was impossible to ignore each other without making things weird. Dez and Austin had shown up, eyed the two girls nervously after Trish's clipped "hello," and proceeded to gather their things without attempting to strike up any more conversation.

The girls had gym together, but Trish sprinted ahead whenever Ally attempted to catch up with her on the track and got changed in record time, leaving the locker room before Ally even got there.

She didn't have any classes with Austin or Dez this year, but the gang usually hung out at the lockers for a few minutes between classes every day. Today, Trish didn't show up. And Dez wasn't waiting on the bench like he usually was when Ally showed up either. So it was just Austin and Ally. And for once, she had absolutely no idea what to say to him after they exchanged hellos.

He seemed equally as awkward.

Should she mention that she'd tried calling him last night? Or would that make him uncomfortable? Was he even aware that she'd called? If he were, he would say something about it, right? Or had Trish called him and ratted Ally out last night?

Better to stick to neutral topics. So finally, she just said, "Congrats on the new song. I saw the video last night. It was…good."

The warning bell rang.

"I have to go," he replied.

Ouch. He didn't even stick around after the bell for a hug like he usually did.

Okay, Ally supposed that was only fair. She _had_ pushed him away when he tried to hug her shortly after "Gally" became a thing. She'd only done it because there was a reporter for the school paper nearby, and she was afraid the gossip magazines would start talking again, but he'd apparently taken it to mean that hugs were officially off-limits because they were seeing other people now.

Lunch was the worst.

When Ally walked into the cafeteria, she noticed right away that the only seat left at their quartet's usual table was across from Trish. Austin and Dez glanced briefly at her as she sat down before once again concentrating solely on their sandwiches.

The silence was very, very uncomfortable indeed.

Trish was working on a worksheet of some sort—the chemistry homework that was due next period?

"I can help you with that," Ally offered. Trish simply glared. "…or not."

Trish pointedly stood up to throw her trash away and leave the cafeteria, even though there were still twenty minutes of lunchtime left, probably off to finish her homework in the library.

Dez cleared his throat. "Hey, is it cold in here, or is it just me?"

Austin merely shrugged, staring intently at his phone.

Ally snuck a peek. He was texting Piper. Of course.

He didn't visit when she was working at Sonic Boom after school, either. Most likely surfing with Piper at the beach like he'd no doubt been doing all last week.

Trish didn't take an extra-long break from Shredder's to visit, either.

No surprise there. She was probably waiting for Ally to grovel.

Not that Ally was going to. Trish had no right to give the silent treatment like that, when all Ally had done was hang up on her. It wasn't like _Ally_ was the one pushing all of Trish's wrong buttons or holding a ridiculous month-long (_Really? What was she—twelve?_) grudge just for being kept out of the loop on her love life. If anything, _Trish_ should be the one apologizing all over the place for accusing her of every absurd little thing she could dig up!

Ally Dawson would never apologize first. So there.

_Even though everything Trish said was true?_

Shut up, brain. You don't know anything.

_At the very least, I know you—we—are feeling really bad about ditching Austin and expecting him to be okay with it._

…Okay, fine. So maybe she owed _Austin_ an apology.

Maybe that was why he was acting so weird at school. Maybe he was waiting for her to stop ignoring him.

"You know what?" she said aloud to no one in particular. (Thankfully, the store was empty.) "I'm going to the beach to find Austin. I need my best friend back."

* * *

Two minutes after leaving Sonic Boom, she chickened out and turned around.

Yeah, yeah, _bok bok bok! _Ally sighed as she unlocked the cash register and resumed her place at the checkout counter.

"You couldn't do it, could you?"

She shrieked, whirling around.

Dez was sitting over by the woodwinds display, with a strange contraption that seemed to be made of…plastic rulers and Play-Doh? And was that giant mixing bowl in his lap?

"Dez!" Ally gasped. "How long have you been there?"

He thought for a minute. "I'm not sure, actually. I think I came here to the mall right after school, and I shopped around for some supplies, and then I came here. I think I was hungry…"

"Okay…and what are you doing here? What _is_ that thing anyway?" Why did she feel like she was going to regret asking?

"Oh this? It's a jungle gym for my new pet monkey."

"And the mixing bowl? _Phew_, why does it smell like vinegar in here?"

"…Um, because there's vinegar in the mixing bowl? His favorite food is mustard, and I'm trying to make it from scratch, okay?"

"All righty then…but can you at least move the, uh, mustard away from the woodwinds? I don't want our reed instruments smelling—or tasting—like vinegar."

"Sure thing!" He stood up, accidentally bumping the jungle gym. It promptly collapsed. "Aw, man!"

Ally shook her head. "At least it fell apart before the monkey played on it. Just saying, you probably should use something sturdier than plastic rulers and Play-Doh."

"Yeah, well, I was on a tight budget." He set the bowl down and took a seat on one of the red benches near the door. "So why did you barge off to look for Austin and then come right back anyway?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't really sure what to say."

"Trish told me about your fight last night."

Crap. "Uh, what exactly did she tell you?"

"Oh, just that you're not over Austin, and you were mad at him for writing a love song without you. And then you hung up on her because she was calling you out for being jealous."

"Hey!"

It was his turn to shrug. "It's true."

"Are you taking Trish's side, too? It's because you and Austin are practically brothers, and you want him to date your girlfriend's sister, right?" she accused.

His reply was oddly serious. "What sides are there, Ally? There's only the truth, and it'll continue to be the truth regardless of whether or not _you_ want to believe it."

Ally opened her mouth to protest, then snapped it shut. _What truth?_ The fact that Austin seemed to be diverting to Piper all the attention he used to give Ally? And that their best friends seemed to support "Ausper" more than they supported "Auslly"?

"…I thought you were on Team Ally," she said finally.

"Eh, I was, but Austin's happy with Piper now, and she was nice enough to help me design this jungle gym. You should get to know her, actually. She's really cool. Did you know that she didn't even get mad when Carrie's goat ate her bedspread?"

"Dez. Stop changing the subject. We're talking about Austin. Not Piper."

"Oh, right. Just a sec." He rooted through his backpack and pulled out his old Dr. Cupid gear. "Okay, now what did you want to ask me?"

She sighed. "Okay, Trish was right. I still have feelings for Austin. I didn't realize it when Gavin asked me out because Austin told me we couldn't be together and that I needed to move on, but—"

"Let me stop you right there. Austin had a point: You two work together, and you've already proven that you're not mature enough to be in a relationship together because it nearly ruined your careers last time around."

"But—"

"Unh-uh. The doctor is talking, Ally. Now act your age and stop interrupting. Anyway, yes, Austin was an idiot for telling you to move on, especially when it was obvious you both still liked each other, and he paid for it when you met Gavin. But you're not entirely blameless here. You let go of him first, and then you rubbed Gavin in his face."

"That's just what Trish said."

"Was she wrong?"

"N-no. I guess I was just mad at her for saying what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear. Oh my gosh, I feel like the worst friend in the world! Here I am, flaking out on Austin while lashing out at Trish for telling me to stop being a brat, and I'm too caught up in wanting Austin back to even appreciate just how amazing Gavin is! I don't even deserve him!"

"So…you're not happy with Gavin."

"Ugh…" Ally buried her face in her hands. "I thought I was…but everything's so complicated now. I told Gavin I love him, but then I learned that Austin wrote 'Superhero' about another girl, and I don't know what came over me, but now I …I just don't know."

"If you're not happy with Gavin, it's not fair to keep stringing him along. You need to break up with him."

"And then tell Austin I still like him?"

"Um, in case you missed the memo, Ally, Austin wrote _Piper_ a _love song_. And we're talking about your relationship with Gavin, not Austin."

"But what if the only reason I'm not happy with Gavin is that I want to be with Austin more?"

Dez sighed in exasperation. "Do I really have to spell it out for you, Ally? Life is not a romantic comedy, no matter how much we both love them to pieces. In the real world, if you're not happy with Gavin because you like Austin more, then you shouldn't be with either of them. One, because you really need to send Gavin off to greener pastures. And two, because Austin is already in a relationship with someone else, and leaving Piper is going to have to be _his_ choice."

"But, Dez—"

"That's _Dr. Cupid_ to _you_, missy! And don't 'but doctor' me either. (Heh-heh, I just said 'butt doctor!') You can't stay in a relationship with someone you don't completely want to be with just because you're afraid of getting rejected by the person you do want to be with. Now I'm going to give you the same advice I gave Austin before he met Piper: 'If you love someone, let her go. If she comes back to you, then it was meant to be.'"

Ally wrinkled her nose. "Okay, first of all, _that_ is the one of the biggest clichés out there—and trust me, I love all things tragically romantic, but this is the _worst! _ And, second—hypothetically—what if I _want_ to come back to him now? Doesn't that mean we were 'meant to be'? Hypothetically, I mean."

"Hypothetically, Ally, are you 'best friends' with Austin because he's your best friend, or do you consider your friendship a step down from being in a relationship with him and want to use this friendship as a stepping stone to get something else from him?"

"Huh?"

"Don't you want him to be happy?"

"Of course. But what if I can't be happy without him?"

"If you're not happy being his friend, then just stop pretending to be his friend. If he's worth the risk, then tell him you still like him. Leave the ball in his court. His friendship shouldn't be a consolation prize."

"But what if I messed things up too badly? What if he's still mad at me?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Then I guess Austin belongs with Piper, and you'll live alone with twenty cats."

He pulled off the costume and stepped back out of character. "You'll have to excuse Dr. Cupid for being a killjoy. He's still a bit mad at you for hurting Austin. For the record, I think you should tell Austin you like him. Oh, and break up with Gavin. I'm gonna go dig my Team Ally shirts out of the trash…"

* * *

Getting Austin to talk to her turned out actually being not that hard. He'd caught up with her at their lockers the very next morning, swinging her around in a hug and yelling, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Once she'd recovered from her shock (Austin had _talked _to her. And he _hugged_ her), Ally managed to ask, "What for?"

"Trish tells me you had her sign Piper up for your fashion show this weekend."

Oh, right. _That_.

Trish had actually followed through with it.

Lesson learned: Always count to ten before signing up your ex's new girlfriend for your fashion show in an effort to upstage her. (Because Ally may have been with Gavin for about thirty times as long as the time she'd spent as Austin's girlfriend, but she still considered Austin to be her first serious boyfriend, ergo her first ex.)

But Austin hadn't seemed to notice Ally's lack of excited jumping. "This is so great! Piper's always wanted to make it as a model, and now she can finally face her fears! Thanks for being so awesome, Ally! You're the best!"

And then he ran off before she could say anything else.

Not that she was going to make her big Confession in the middle of the hallways of Marino High or anything like that. But even though he didn't seem to be mad at her anymore, there was still the burden of not having apologized to him yet.

She wouldn't see Gavin until the weekend. Somehow, Ally had a feeling that breaking up with him over text was probably not the way to go, so it would have to happen in person before the fashion show. She'd spent all of Wednesday afternoon after her "appointment" with Dr. Cupid trying to figure out how to cut Gavin loose as gently as possible, but no amount of sugarcoating was going to make her feel like she wasn't murdering a puppy with a chainsaw.

Groveling to Trish had been anything but dignifying, but talking to Dez had helped Ally swallow her pride. And her best friend had in turn apologized for holding a grudge for so long over something so silly. Things between them were still a little strained, but Ally was crossing her fingers that in time, they'd be back to normal.

So now it was Saturday morning, just a few hours before her modeling debut would kick off, and she and Trish were getting ready in her room when the curling iron died on them.

"Ugh," Ally groaned, unplugging the stupid thing from the vanity. "Of _all_ days for this to fail on me!"

"Don't you dare headdesk, Ally! Giant bumps on the forehead are only fashionable in Japan!" Trish inspected their progress dubiously. "Okay, so we only managed to curl part of the left side. How about we just sweep it all into a messy bun?"

"How about we just leave it looking like a rat's nest? Have you _seen_ the dress Ronnie's team is making me wear? And the feathers? No hairstyle is going to save me from looking like an idiot. Maybe I should just back out of the show and promote my record by making bad dance videos…"

"Or we could wait until you get to the dressing rooms and ask one of the other girls if she can lend you a curler."

What would she do without Trish's levelheaded sensibility?

There was a knock at the door. "Ally, honey?" Lester's voice called from the hallway. "Gavin's here to see you."

She nearly knocked everything off her dresser. "Oh, no! Trish, what do I do? I was supposed to break up with Gavin this morning, but my mind is completely blank! What do I say?"

"Um… 'I don't think this is going to work out. It's not you; it's me'?" Trish noticed something on the desk. "Hey, what's this? You wrote an _entire list_ of ways to open up the breakup convo?"

"What? I didn't want to hurt his feelings!"

Her best friend shook her head in exasperation, then hauled her out of her seat, all but shoving her in the direction of the front door. "Just go and tell it like it is. No need to sugarcoat anything. If he's anywhere near as amazing as you've said he is, he'll take it like a motherfranking adult, and you can both walk away from this with no hard feelings and minimum ego-bruising. Now go answer the door before he thinks I've murdered you with the curling iron."

Left with no other choice, Ally braced herself and opened the front door.

"Hi, Ally-cat!" Gavin greeted her cheerfully. "Ready to go?"

"Oh, no. Sorry, Gavin, we're not ready just yet. The curling iron died on us, and my dress is a mess, but Ronnie's team says it's too late to get a different one, and we can't figure out—" (Trish jabbed Ally in the ribs.) Oh, right. She swallowed and took a deep breath. _Go ahead. Rip off the Band-Aid. _ "Gavin, I-I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait? The coffee's getting cold."

"Coffee?"

He smiled and brought out whatever it was he'd been hiding behind his back. "You seemed a little stressed this week, so I figured I get you a cup of decaf iced mocha with half soy milk, half low-fat milk with light whip and caramel drizzle."

Well, that sure put a dent in her plan. How could she just dump a guy who went through the trouble of ordering her favorite coffee for her because she'd mentioned to him—_once_, ages ago—that she was afraid to order it too often because the people in line behind her might hate her for taking so long? Even Austin usually went, "Screw it," and just ordered something simpler when she sent him out on a mid-songwriting caffeine run.

So she accepted the cup he was still holding out and stepped into the hug he held open.

He also didn't mind that she'd had a clumsy moment mid-hug, tripping on air molecules and accidentally splashing scalding hot coffee on his shirt.

"Oh, by the way, I'll be driving you girls over to the show so you dad doesn't have to close the store."

She supposed the breakup conversation could wait a little while longer…

* * *

"I don't think I can do this."

Austin glanced down worriedly at the clearly distressed blonde holding his hand in a death grip.

They were in one of the large ballrooms at Ramone Records' studios. Crew members were milling around, dragging in cartloads of chairs and attempting to clear a space for what appeared to be a makeshift runway. Unfortunately, it looked like the show was going to have to start later than planned, seeing as the runway still hadn't been set up (forget the seating area) because all the photographers and spectators were just standing there in the way, and no one seemed to know what was going on. At least the other models were nowhere to be seen in this room, indicating that whoever was in charge at least managed to get a dressing room set up.

Piper had seemed fine when Trish informed her that she'd been invited to participate. Just for funsies, she'd even agreed to have a mini-fashion show at her house for Austin, Dez, Trish, and Jace, in which she and Carrie had thrown together the most outrageous outfits they could muster from their closets, and Dez put together an entire album of their silly pictures.

But now, the realization seemed to have finally hit her that she was plunging back into the same world she'd rejected several years ago for some reason she still hadn't divulged. Austin grimaced when he realized that he was starting to lose the feeling in his fingers.

But before he could reassure her (for the third time since they'd arrived this morning) that she'd be fine, he was tackle-hugged by Ally and Trish on their way in ("You showed up after all!") and then dragged away by Dez ("Austin, you've got to help me! The monkey got loose in here somewhere because all the photography flashes were scaring him!") and handed a burlap sack.

"Um…what's this for?"

"To catch the monkey! I've got one, too!" Dez held it up as proof. "You take this side of the room, Carrie and I'll take that side, and we'll meet in the middle, okay?"

"Why don't you just put that somewhere where the monkey can see it to lure it back?" Austin nodded at the giant bucket of mustard Dez had insisted on bringing ("He gets really irritated when he's hungry!").

Dez snapped his fingers. "Good call. I'll go do that."

As his friends ran off, Austin left the room to look for his girlfriend.

He passed Trish, who pointed him down the hall, and found Piper sitting on the floor.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She shrugged, leaning over to pick at something on the carpet. He sighed and sat down next to her, taking her hand.

"You know you don't have to do this if you don't want to, right? I could go up there wearing this burlap sack in your place. No one's forcing you to do anything you don't want to do."

"I know. And I don't want to let you guys down, as much as I'd love to see you make a fool of yourself. I _do_ want to try and see if I could do this again…I mean, it's not like I had a traumatic experience like falling off the runway or anything."

"Wait, you _didn't_?"

"No, I didn't."

"But then why did you quit? And how did your traumatic breakup with your ex fit into all this?"

"I quit modeling because it promotes body image issues and because I just couldn't morally agree with it." She paused. "Oh, and it probably had something to do with the fact that my ex was an aspiring photographer and a flaming bag of fat-shaming misogyny."

"Oh."

"He photoshopped the pictures he took of me," Piper elaborated. "It's standard practice, so I didn't think anything of it at the time. At first, it was just small touchups, like fixing the lighting or getting rid of flyaway hairs or shrinking pores. But then he started slimming everything down and making me look like someone I'm not. And then he started making all these comments about my weight and how modeling probably wasn't my 'thing' because I 'didn't have the right body for it.' By then, I'd been hearing that a lot from all the teachers at modeling school, so I decided that I didn't need that kind of shallow obsession over every aspect of my appearance in my life, so I quit. He still didn't shut up about my weight even after I stopped modeling, and I was too naïve at the time to see that he wasn't good for me, even when he started talking a lot about one of my friends, how she's so much skinnier than I am or how her posture's so much better than mine. I didn't see those comments for what they were, so like an idiot, I tried convincing him that people are more than skin-deep. And then he dumped me for that girl."

"I-I'm sorry," Austin stammered. "If I'd known, I would have never encouraged you to come back to this."

"Eh, I'm definitely over _him_. Modeling…I don't know. It was fun while people weren't insisting that I starve myself, and I wasn't starting fights with them by telling them to fuck off. But most of the time, the teachers and agents _were_ yelling at me to lose weight, and I _was_ yelling at them to fuck off. But the other girls weren't that bad, as long as they weren't lecturing one another about the caloric value of every single thing they put in their mouths."

"Sounds like you should be boycotting this thing instead of participating in it."

"Yeah, well, I don't want Trish and Ally to feel like I'm snubbing them. Although…the other day, when I was picking out a dress, I was tempted to just show up in ripped jeans and this one shirt I own. It's a little, uh…the language on it is a little inappropriate, but I thought it would be a nice way to give the fashion industry the middle finger. I decided against it because today should be Ally's big day, and Ally and Trish were really nice to invite me, and I don't want to hurt their feelings."

"…Fair enough."

"I suppose one more show can't hurt. It's not like it'll make or break my career or anything. And it's a small show, so there probably won't be asshats in the audience complaining that I'm not a size zero."

"…So I should leave you to get changed?"

She nodded, and he helped her up from the floor. "Thanks for everything, Austin."

"Anything for my girl."

* * *

Ally groaned at her reflection as Trish stuck the last bobby pin in place. "I look like I've just escaped from the circus."

Trish just burst out laughing. "If it makes you feel any better, everyone else here looks pretty stupid, too." She gestured around at all the other models' crazy tutus and fluffy boas.

"Not helping."

"At least you'll blend in. And you'll only be on the runway for, like, a minute, and then we can all get out of here. And then I'll yell at Ronnie for signing you up for this shizz, and we'll figure out some other way to promote your album."

"Trish, this is my modeling _debut_. No one's going to want to take my music seriously if I come out looking like a poor man's Lady Gaga. I _knew_ I should've picked out my dress myself instead of letting Ronnie's people do it…"

"Or you can suck it up for one minute and then sell the stupid dress and donate the proceeds to charity."

…That was a good point, actually. Ally took a deep breath. "Okay, Trish, I'm going to do it. I'm going to suck it up and get this thing over with. And then I'm going to be Roxie again and give Ronnie a_ piece of my mind_."

Just then, the door opened, and Piper walked in.

Her gown looked…normal. Very pretty, actually.

Ally groaned again. "I look like a hooker compared to her."

Trish studied the program book. "If it helps, you're somewhere in the middle, and there are about six or seven other girls after you before Piper's on."

"Can I at least not wear this stupid feather in my hair?"

Piper was wearing _her_ hair straight. No giant feathers or weird accessories either.

Trish was texting someone. She sighed and headed for the door. "Do what you want to do. I have to go help Dez find his monkey…"

Ally buried her face in her hands. To be honest, she wasn't as upset about the outfit Ronnie's team had put her in as she'd let Trish believe. Her distress had more to do with the complete, hopeless inadequacy she felt whenever she was around Piper.

Piper was sensible. Levelheaded enough to pull Austin's head down from outer space when he needed it. Not afraid to stand up for herself and call Austin out for coming off as shallow. Reasonable. Mature. In comparison, Ally felt like a hopeless romantic, the kind who acted like a complete pushover, the way she couldn't even cut poor Gavin loose because he brought her _coffee_. And, oh yeah, a jealous and spiteful "mean girl" who tried to publicly humiliate Piper when Piper's only crime had been to make Austin happy.

Of course Austin would like Piper better. Who _wouldn't_?

Ally sighed, reaching down to fix the straps of her heels.

She was vaguely aware of Trish's voice shouting, "_All of you girls in here, either get decent real quick or duck behind something. There's a guy out in the hall who wants to come in!"_

Then someone was sitting down next to her, and she lifted her head to smile tiredly at Gavin.

"Hey, are you all right? Nervous?"

She shook her head. "…Actually, I am a little nervous about tripping and falling or doing something stupid. But mostly, I'm just not really happy with the outfit I got put in." _Or the fact that I tried to upstage my ex's new girlfriend, but it only backfired on me. Or the fact that I still haven't broken up with you. And now I feel horrible._

"Yeah, Trish told me. But don't worry. It's a fashion show, not a beauty contest. Although, I think you look gorgeous in anything, even this dress."

_It's official. I don't just feel like a horrible person. I _am_ a horrible person._

"How about this?" Gavin offered. "As soon as you're done, we'll hand the dress off to Trish, and then I'll take you out to watch a silent romance movie in the park, and then we'll get dinner at _A La Mour_ to make up for last week."

How could she refuse? First her favorite coffee, and now her picture-perfect date!

And just like that, she fell in love with him all over again. How many guys were willing to sit through a silent movie with her? (Besides Dez, of course.) _How could I have ever thought I still liked Austin?_

* * *

By some miracle, the people running the event had actually managed to get the runway set up in time for the show to kick off as scheduled.

Ignoring the hisses and glares from the various spectators he blocked or tripped over, Austin squeezed his way through the maze of chairs and found Dez, Carrie, Gavin, and Trish sitting in the row nearest the runway just as the emcee took the mic.

Then he realized something. "Dez!" he hissed. "You hung the bucket of mustard from the rafters?"

"You said to hang it where the monkey could see it. We didn't know where he was, so I figured the ceiling would be best."

"But it's hanging right over the runway! Dude, I've got a really bad feeling about this…"

Dez shrugged. "Eh, with any luck, I'm sure everything'll be fine."

Everything was not fine.

The first few models came and went without any trouble.

But then came one who could have been Brandi Baxton's long-lost twin sister. First, she loudly declared her hatred of the Katy Perry song that was blasting through the speakers and refused to set foot on the runway until a middle-aged woman (her agent?) threatened to pull her out of the show entirely. Then she reached the end of the runway and promptly threw a tantrum about the whole room smelling like vinegar.

Of course, all the photographers wanted to get a shot of _that_, so they crowded their cameras and tripods around, and the flashbulbs went off like crazy while the officials panicked and tried to figure out how to get her off the runway without getting clawed to pieces or impaled by her ridiculously pointy high heels

In the midst of all the commotion, Austin almost missed the screech of fright, at first mistaking it for the model's histrionics. But then Trish nudged him, and he looked up and noticed a small brown shape trembling in the rafters.

"Oh, hey, look!" Dez exclaimed. "It's my monkey! I wonder how he got up there…"

"Never mind that!" Trish snapped. "I think he's hungry and wants to get to the mustard, but the flashbulbs are scaring him. How are we going to get him down from there?"

"Hopefully, he'll stay there until the end of the show, and then we can figure something out once they clean up the room," Carrie reasoned.

So they sat there as the security guards finally managed to shoo away the photographers and drag the kicking and screaming girl off the runway.

"I sure feel bad for whoever has to go next," Dez remarked. By then, most of the spectators had grown frustrated (either with the vinegar smell or with the delay induced by the Brandi twin) and left.

Whoever had to go next turned out to be none other than Ally Dawson.

And, of course, the monkey chose _that_ moment—when Ally was at the end of the runway, posing for the photographers—to leap from the rafters, aiming for the bucket of mustard that was situated right over where she stood.

It all happened in slow motion, really…

how the monkey had launched itself from its perch…

how Austin had immediately deduced where it was going to land…

how its front paws had latched onto the rim of the bucket…

how the bucket had tipped to its side from the extra weight…

The next thing Austin knew, he had leaped onto the runway, shoving Ally off the platform, just as the bucket tipped over, showering him in vinegar-y mustard while everyone in the room watched in horror…

Austin stood there numbly as the awful stuff dripped down his back. He watched as the nearest photographers helped Ally up (thankfully, she hadn't hit her head when she fell off), and then Gavin ran over to fuss all over his "angel," who was beaming up at him like _he_ had been the one to save her, but for once the boiling rage in Austin's gut was noticeably absent…

…And then time resumed its normal pace, and a terrified, mustard-splotched capuchin was scrambling around through the chairs on the floor, and the emcee was indefinitely postponing the show and nervously apologizing to the remaining audience members for the delay, and the remaining audience members who weren't Dez, Carrie, Trish, Gavin, or Austin were screaming and tripping over each other to get away from the monkey, while the officials tried to figure out how to salvage the situation.

"Well, that was one way to save me from this show," Piper's voice remarked.

He realized she was standing right next to him on the ruined runway, having changed back into casual street clothes.

"You should be grateful," he teased. "How many guys would be willing to wear a burlap sack _and_ ruin their best friend's fashion show for you?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm done with modeling forever. Want to go surfing tomorrow after you're done recording?"

"Sure, so long as you don't mind me smelling like vinegar and Dijon mustard for a week."

"Later." Piper gave him a quick side hug, not minding the mustard, and ran off.

Dez and Carrie were already gone, probably trying to catch the monkey. Trish had left, too, probably off to work. And Ally was walking towards him, Gavin absent for once.

Uh-oh. He'd nearly forgotten that he'd probably forever ruined her efforts to promote her album. And her chances in the fashion industry. But mostly the album. He'd pushed her off a platform four feet off the ground! She was going to _kill_ him, if Gavin didn't finish him off first!

He opened his mouth to rattle off a million apologies, but she beat him to it.

"I'm really sorry, Austin."

_Huh?_

"Huh?" he verbalized.

She was fiddling with the hem of her dress. "I realized that I've been a really lousy friend and partner lately, the way I've been seeing Gavin and calling him when I should have been working with you. I never planned on being _that_ girl, who would ditch her friends for her boyfriend and then expect them to be okay with it, but…well, there are no excuses. I promise I'll be a better partner from now on."

He let out the breath he realized he'd been holding. "It's okay. I thought you were going to kill me for ruining your modeling debut," he admitted.

She shrugged. "Eh, I'm sure I would have ruined it sooner or later. Have you _seen_ me walk in heels?"

She struck a pose to demonstrate, pivoted, and promptly knocked them both off the platform.

* * *

He had a very strange dream that night.

Something about him being Batman, although he was wearing Superman's red underpants, scouring the streets of Miami for Chester the Cheap Gorilla, who'd robbed a bank and was holding a famous violinist hostage for ransom. The photo of the missing violinist looked suspiciously like Nelson.

Whatever. The details weren't that important.

He'd just lost the gorilla mid-chase after Chester ducked into an alley, when Aladdin's genie popped up out of nowhere. Only, the genie was talking in Trish's voice and smacked Austin upside the head when he asked him (her?) which way the gorilla had gone.

"What was that for?" Austin cried.

"Open your eyes, bozo! Well, don't open them just yet because then you'll wake up, and I won't be able to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"She asked you, _'Have you seen me walk in heels,'_ right?"

"Who?"

"Ally. Who else would I be talking about?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"Doesn't something seem a little _off_ about what she said? Do you really think she'd be clumsy enough to accidentally knock both of you off the runway while in heels?"

"…I'm sorry, I really don't understand."

"She wears high-heels all the time," the genie elaborated with exaggerated patience. "_All_ the time. Remember the boots? Then the wedges? Then the sandals?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Ally just doesn't _have_ clumsy moments when she's in heels. She's used to walking in heels. Don't you get it?"

Light dawned on Austin's foggy unconscious brain. "You mean…she fell into me _on purpose?"_

Trish smirked. "_Now_ you see it. My work here is done."

"Wait, wait!" Austin cried as the genie's form faded away. "I still don't understand! Why would Ally make up a reason to fall into me and nearly give me a concussion? Does it mean she still likes me? Or was she getting me back for knocking her off the runway earlier?"

He woke up suddenly, tangled in the sheets and soaked in a cold sweat.

Ally had fallen into him _on purpose_, using high-heels as an excuse!

He had to write that down, draw a picture, _something_ before he forgot it!

Twisting around, he flailed around for the paper and pencil he usually kept on his nightstand for jotting down lyrics and tunes that his brain could only come up with while in a semi-conscious state. Now what would be a good memory jogger?

High-heels!

So he drew a pair of heels as best he could, given his artistic (in)ability and the fact that the room was pitch-black. Satisfied, he set the pencil down and fell back asleep.

* * *

_To: Dez  
__From: Austin  
__11:43 a.m.  
__I had the craziest dream last night, man!_

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
11:43 a.m.  
What was it?_

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
11:45 a.m.  
I don't remember! I wrote something down last night on a piece of paper, but it doesn't make any sense._

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
11:46 a.m.  
But I felt like I'd discovered the answer to the universe or something!_

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
11:47 a.m.  
What does the paper say?_

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
11:48 a.m.  
Um, it looks like the number 22 written backwards._

_To: Austin  
From: Dez  
11:50 a.m.  
Austin, the answer to the universe is 42, not 22._

_To: Dez  
From: Austin  
11:52 a.m.  
Oh. Then I guess it was just a pointless dream after all. Wanna come over and play video games?_

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I'm such a tease.

**[1]** Sorry about the butchered French. The name of the restaurant that Gavin was planning to take Ally for their six-weekiversary was supposed to be a pun—a combination of _a la mode _and _ah, l'amour_, but I wasn't sure how to spell it. (I took Latin, not French. I know next to nothing about French. Sorry.)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** (Just for the record, Austin pushing Ally out of the way and Gavin's complicated coffee order last chapter were not of my invention. Sorry, A, I don't deserve nearly as much credit as you gave me. Please don't hate me! I still love your reviews.)

At any rate, there's no way I'm writing another 12,500-worder. I'm exhausted, so let's calm things down a little and take a break from all of Trish's and Dez's crazy meddling (just _whose_ side are they _on_, amirite?). We'll be venturing a little back into borderline angsty territory, along with a bit of an existential/early-onset-quarter-life "OMG what am I going to do with my life" crisis that I'm sure everyone around my age (late teens to early twenties) has gone through or will go through at some point. Yum. But this chapter should be the extent of how dark this fic gets, namely not very.

**This chapter contains no spoilers and is safe to read. For once, the plot is 100% from my imagination.**

Disclaimer: My friend challenged me to write a disclaimer that includes the phrase "I own _Austin & Ally_" without any negations inserted in the phrase itself. I responded by flailing my arms around in confusion (because how does that logically make sense?) and accidentally slapping him across the face. Only in my dreams am I cool and collected. And only in my dreams do I own _Austin & Ally_. There.

* * *

The next few weeks flew by.

Austin released "Superhero" as his newest single. School was winding down as senioritis and prom fever set in, so he was able to perform at several sold-out concerts throughout the state. (His parents had not been particularly happy whenever he returned from one gig at 1 a.m., but there wasn't much they could do about his busy schedule, given that he was under contract to perform whenever the record company needed him to.)

In his spare time, he spent his afternoons surfing with Piper and hanging out at the beach club with Dez, Carrie, and Trish, although sometimes the latter two would "take an extra-long break," and Trish would bring the gang over to Sonic Boom to visit Ally. The entire group—the members of Team Austin-and-Ally, plus their respective significant others—had even gone on a "monster quadruple date" in which each person got to drag all the others somewhere he or she wanted to go. Jace's choice had been a little tricky, since the destination he'd had in mind was the water park in his hometown, so that part of the date had entailed the other seven watching him walk around with his myTAB. But they did get to see the newest _Zaliens_ movie (courtesy of Trish), catch some twenty-foot waves (with Piper), reluctantly sit through Dez's favorite silent romantic film at the park, drive over to Disney World (Carrie), and go cloud watching on a picnic where they only brought pickles (Ally and Gavin, after Dez beat them to the silent film).

And Ally made good on her promise to "be a better partner." She'd stopped calling and texting Gavin during Austin-and-Ally time and even canceled on Gavin a couple times to extend their songwriting sessions. They'd hammered out the melody for his next song and were planning on tackling the lyrics soon.

Austin had his music, his family, his friends, his girlfriend…

As far as he was concerned, life was pretty good.

So he was surprised one night to receive a text from Ally asking him to meet her at Sonic Boom.

No explanation. Just an _austin_ _please come to sonic boom_.

Ally _never_ bypassed proper capitalization or punctuation in her texts. Austin's heart leaped into his throat. Had something happened to Mr. Dawson? Had Ally injured herself falling down the stairs and been forced to type a desperate plea for help? _Was the mall on fire?_

Austin all but fell out his window in his haste to get over to Sonic Boom.

When he arrived, the lights were on in the practice room, and to his immense relief, he could hear the piano playing. "Ally, you're all right!" he gasped, taking the steps two at a time. "I thought something was wrong—you nearly gave me a heart attack!

She stopped playing and turned around. "Why would something be wrong for me to want to hang out with you?"

"…So nothing's wrong?"

"Well…it's nothing too important. I just figured we've been so busy writing that we haven't done any playing just for fun in a long time. Think you can still remember all those songs we wrote before Jimmy signed you?"

Was that a challenge?

Austin smirked. If she thought he could forget any of their songs, then she was sorely mistaken. He grabbed the guitar in the corner. "Think _you_ can recognize a song just by the opening chords?"

"Oh, it's on!"

"Let's do this."

And just like that, it was as if they were fifteen again. Just two best friends and their music, without a care in the world. Before Gavin and Piper, before Kira, before Elliot, before Starr Records…

* * *

At some point, between "Double Take" and "It's Me, It's You," Austin had set down the guitar and joined her on the piano.

Now they were sharing the bench, and Ally could feel his bicep flexing against her shoulder (how was it humanly _possible_ to be that tall?) as he worked the keys, and his thigh was pressing against hers, and their hands had touched exactly 38 times, and did she mention it was hard to breathe in here?

More than a few times, she'd had to suppress a twinge of guilt for having more fun jamming with Austin than she ever did with Gavin. Clearly, it was just that Austin's music was more bright and upbeat. Clearly.

Austin seemed either oblivious to or entirely unperturbed about the lack of personal space between them and the ridiculous things he was doing to her heart rate.

Or maybe she was just being an idiot because the song they were currently singing—rather, the song Austin was singing while Ally stared at him like some kind of star-struck fangirl—wasn't even the kind to get even his most, uh, _dedicated_ fans all hot and bothered.

"Heard it on the Radio."

_Wow_, Ally.

Was it bad that she was a little disappointed that, nearly an hour after he'd joined her, he still hadn't played any of their more recent songs? Was it bad that she really, _really_ wanted to hear him sing something like "I Think About You," or "Timeless," or "Steal Your Heart," a love song—_any_ love song—to her?

The wish-granting genies up there apparently had a sick sense of humor, for Austin finished "Heard it on the Radio" and immediately launched into the chords of a song Ally suddenly found herself wishing she had never, ever written.

"_You're always on my mind,  
I think about you all the time…  
Um, NO."_

It was like her past self had returned to bite her in the rear end.

"Not a Love Song" had been one of Austin's favorite songs to perform at gigs during that first year, before Starr Records signed him. Calm, easy-going, happy-go-lucky. It suited him perfectly and, despite its very _name_, only seemed to make the fangirls drool harder. But he hadn't sung it in a long time now, having long outgrown his "feelings? _ewwww_" phase. Ally couldn't remember hearing it even once in recent memory.

It didn't help that all of his songs in her recent memory _were_ love songs.

He really had come a long way. She remembered the ridiculous lengths to which Austin had gone to get rid of the "crush" he thought she'd had on him. Why was he singing it now? Was he trying to tell her something?

Was this his way of reminding her that they would be "Friends and Partners Always"?

* * *

Somehow, around midnight, they got to talking about their plans after high school.

Dez had gotten accepted to film school, Austin revealed. Thanks to the success of _Claws Dun Dun Dun_ and his various short films throughout the years, his best friend had received countless offers from schools all over the country—even UCLA—but had been unwilling to commit to any until he'd heard back from his top choice in Miami. To everyone's immense relief, he'd been accepted.

Trish, too, had decided to stay in Miami for at least the next year, hoping to move up to a better position at Shredder's. Evidently, college admissions officers did not consider getting fired XXX times an impressive accomplishment. She hadn't minded, though, as she was still waiting to see what Austin and Ally would decide to do. "What kind of manager would I be if I just up and left you?" she'd asked them.

That was true. Ally figured Austin would most likely stay in Miami and become a full-time recording artist with Starr Records. He would get to stay close to Jimmy, Dez, Trish, Kira, and all their other friends. _She,_ on the other hand…

Austin suddenly asked, "What _are_ you going to do next year?"

Ally froze.

She had always aspired to make it as a famous singer-songwriter. It seemed like a pipe dream back when she had stage fright, so she'd buried herself in her studies, working her way into the top 1% of their class at Marino High with her eye on schools like Harvard or Stanford.

But now that she was signed to Ramone Records and working on her very first album and writing songs for _the_ Austin Moon, it was becoming increasingly difficult to decide between academics and music. A degree in a STEM field could take her a long way, but what would her life be without her music to keep her sane? On the other hand, a lifelong career in music was risky and time consuming. The public was a fickle creature, and it was not unheard of for once-adored stars to slip through the cracks and fade away as newer faces took the spotlight. And deducing from her parents' stories of college, Ally was pretty sure that there was no way she would be able to balance her up-and-coming music career with schoolwork in academia without having to sacrifice one of the two.

To further complicate the "college vs. full-time recording artist" decision, more recently, her dreams had expanded to include holding true to "Team Austin together forever" and (call her a romantic, but maybe, hopefully, someday) Austin and herself promising themselves to one another and then having a bunch a mini-Austins and mini-Allies (so long as Trish and Dez didn't marry each other and want to live with them). But how much longer could she dance in circles around Austin when he clearly didn't feel the same way, seeing as he was just _sitting_ next to her on the bench, not at all affected by or aware of the fact that their shoulders were still pressed together?

Needless to say, she didn't want to freak him out, so she finally just said, "Well, the Common App deadline is past, so I've decided to take a gap year to figure out what I want to do."

That was true. The 2390 she'd scored on the SAT was still useable for another three years, and the complete and utter hell of college applications would probably be a lot more manageable when she didn't have homework and tests piling up in all her AP classes. She decided not to mention that she had (_totally_ not deliberately) missed the December 31st Common App deadline for 2013 only because she was waiting to find out what _his_ post-high school plans were.

Austin frowned. "I thought MUNY was still offering you a full ride. And aren't there rumors that Julliard is (what did they call it?), uh, 'extending your application deadline indefinitely'? And once your album comes out, I'm pretty sure all the Ivies would accept you in a heartbeat."

"Austin, my career's already taking off. I can't just drop everything and go to college and then come back to find that no one remembers who I am. Besides, I told you back when I turned down MUNY: I'm already living my dream here in Miami. I don't need Julliard for that."

Austin was silent for a minute. Then he sighed. "I'm definitely going to be working with Jimmy next year, but…I've been considering going to college."

Ally nearly fell off the bench at that.

She _so_ did not see that coming.

He laughed at her expression (she probably resembled a fish out of water). "What? You thought a dumb kid like me wouldn't touch optional school with a ten-foot pole?" he teased.

Was that what he really thought of her? "No, no! I just thought you'd continue singing and going on tour and turning out new albums, since, you know, you're the biggest popstar out there…"

He stopped laughing then. "My parents have gotten off my back a lot since my career took off, and they really do support my music…but I've been trying to get closer to them lately," he admitted, oddly serious. "I'm thinking about getting a business degree. That way, my parents won't have to worry about Moon's Mattress Kingdom once they retire. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be a teen popstar forever, and I'd get totally bored if I don't have anything to do after I retire from the music scene."

How could this be the same guy who had crashed his way into her life not three years ago with a pair of corndogs and the complete demolition of the set of _The Helen Show_? He'd hated school, where he was always told what he could or could not do. He'd hated homework and being forced to learn things that he was never going to use anyway. It took bribes and threats to get him to study for _anything_.

And now he was growing up and thinking long-term and making plans to go to _college_ because he wanted to be ready for life _after retirement_? Where would Ally fit into his life then?

Suddenly, she blurted without thinking, "If you go to college, I'd go with you."

"…and study business at a state university?"

"Well—yeah, and maybe double-major in music composition. I'd hate for Dad to have to sell Sonic Boom once he retires, too." _Great recovery._

Was it bad that the only degree she really, _really_ wanted was an MRS? More specifically, an MRS preceding "Moon"?

Austin nodded. "I'd hate to have to let go of Sonic Boom, too." He started picking at a loose thread on his jeans. "I can't believe we're almost out of high school…"

The conversation was getting a little heavy for a Friday night, so Ally got off the piano bench and went over to curl up on one of the couches. She immediately regretted it. It was a chilly night for Miami, she noted as soon as she moved away from Austin. Unusually chilly. Teeth-chatteringly so.

At once, Austin was wrapping his jacket around her, and she was engulfed in his scent, though it was a little different from what she'd remembered. There was another, newer, scent there…Piper's?

Nonetheless, the gesture was impossibly sweet, and the floodgates that had been threatening to give way all night suddenly burst open, and all the butterflies were swarming out.

Which was totally confusing because Gavin lent her his jacket on a regular basis, but it never made her want to launch herself at him and kiss him into the next morning if he let her. Or throw up from all the nerves. (But mostly the former.)

Austin was looking at her with an expression of concern. Probably for her mental stability, Ally realized, as she was still staring at him. So she coughed awkwardly, averting her gaze to the window.

"Thanks."

"Any time."

"No, I meant, thanks for coming out here tonight. I needed to get away from Gavin hanging off me all the time."

She couldn't see Austin's face, but she heard the confusion in his voice as he went back to sit on the piano bench. "I thought that was what you wanted. You know—someone who could remember your favorite coffee order and treated you like a princess? Someone who was able to make time for you instead of always being busy with his career?"

They had never talked about their failed relationship beyond a "_We don't want being together getting in the way of our careers. End of discussion._" They were best friends and music partners. Always had been, always would be. It was like that very brief period of time had been a momentary lapse in judgment. "Is…" She swallowed, hard. "Is that why you think we never gave it another try?"

"Well, yeah. We were too busy with my tour and your demo and then your album… The timing was never right. Besides, it wouldn't have worked out anyway. Remember the part where we couldn't even write anything when we were together?"

And there it was again.

Would it be considered a romantic move or a selfish move to give up music to be with him?

Or was it all just a false dichotomy?

One rough patch. That was all it had taken for them to give up. He'd let her go without a fight, but she had been the one to initiate the breakup, and he let her have what he thought she wanted. Because all he ever wanted was for her to be happy. But what if he'd known that, while she hadn't exactly enjoyed fighting with him, she was terrified of losing him? What if he'd known that she'd wanted to try harder? Would he have fought just as hard for her then?

Only one way to find out. Take the leap of faith. Hope he would be there to catch her at the bottom.

A deep breath. _Remember to breathe, Ally_.

"I really wanted it to work out, Austin. We didn't even _try_. Don't you think we could have figured something out? If we'd been able to talk things through instead of passive-aggressively giving the other what they wanted and then getting mad when we didn't entirely get our way…do you think we might have been able to stay partners and a couple?"

Austin didn't reply.

She squashed that growing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach and turned to face the piano bench, but her words died in her throat as she realized that, yes, there _was_ in fact something—short of a literal knife to the heart—he could do that could hurt as much as a flat-out rejection.

He was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I'm trying this new thing called brevity in my start-of-chapter author's notes. Here's chapter 6.

**There are no spoilers in this chapter. But there will be Auslly moments. **

Disclaimer: I do not own _Austin & Ally_.

* * *

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

What on _earth_ had compelled her to think he'd still be interested in "trying again"? It had been over a _year_ since they'd broken up, after a meager two days together. Never mind the fact that they were both dating other people, and _she_ had been the one to break the "more than friends but not a couple" status quo and then completely ignore him and ditch her friends for her new boyfriend…

_You have NO chance with Austin. Get that through your head!_

Thank _goodness_ he hadn't been there to hear her practically begging him to take her back! What would he think of her? It was bad enough that any _mention_ of their relationship had made him uncomfortable enough to bolt. Hearing her confess her feelings would no doubt cause him to break off their friendship entirely.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

She felt like a stupid, pathetic, fickle, completely unworthy friend.

Ally was so deep in her self-loathing that she almost missed the chime from her phone. It took her a full minute to convince herself to open the text.

_To: Ally  
From: Austin  
12:23 a.m.  
Sorry, Mom texted me that if I wasn't home in the next 2 minutes, I wouldn't be allowed to leave the house until after graduation…_

…Oh.

Moments later, another chime.

_To: Ally  
From: Austin  
12:24 a.m.  
…IF I graduate. Her words. Guess she finally found out about my Geography 2 grade. :/_

Classic Austin.

Despite her earlier anguish, Ally felt a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips as relief flooded her. So he _hadn't_ heard her pouring her heart out or bolted because he didn't want to talk to her. Her grin widened when she read his next text:

_To: Ally  
From: Austin  
12:27 a.m.  
Sorry again. If I could I'd stay and talk to you all night. Good night!_

And then she realized what time it was. Her father had never really needed or cared to set a curfew for her, given that growing up, she had rarely left the house anyway. Even when she started writing with Austin, sure, Lester had been a little less than pleased that she was pulling all-nighters, but he trusted her to let him know where she would be if she had to stay out late.

Ally knew she should be getting her butt home because she had nothing going on tonight, but she was still curled up on the couch, and Austin's jacket was keeping her warm, and she was comfortable _dammit_, so she sent her father a quick text letting him know she was spending the night in Sonic Boom.

* * *

She had a weird dream that night.

She was standing in a large room with lots of tables and streamers and balloons, and people were milling around everywhere. Judging from the fancy dresses on the girls and the suits with matching ties on the guys, Ally figured this must be a school dance, most likely prom. She herself was wearing a long red dress, as she discovered when she tried to take a step forward and nearly fell flat on her face.

Strangely enough, she didn't jolt awake when she slipped on her long dress and fell. That probably had something to do with the fact that a really tall person in a tux—her date?—suddenly reached out and caught her around the waist, breaking her fall. "Be careful," he (Gavin, she assumed) murmured.

She was pulled flush against him, so she couldn't see his face, and his voice didn't sound much like Gavin's. But it made sense for the guy to be Gavin in her sleep-jumbled mind, so she went with it. The details were a little muddled anyhow.

But then, arm still around her waist, her date steered her over to the corner, where she realized the deejay was. And then he took the mic and started to sing to her, everyone else in the room falling silent to pay attention. Ally recognized the song instantly as "Stuck on You," and when he made eye contact with her, she was suddenly aware that the guy singing before her was _Austin_, not Gavin. Blonde hair and brown eyes, not brown hair and blue eyes. Of course…

She woke up unsure as to whether it was a sign or just a dream. She was engulfed in Austin's scent, though, and she realized she was still wrapped up in his jacket. Maybe if she snuggled deeper into it and breathed in his scent in lungfuls and shut her eyes _really_ tight, she could will herself back into that dream…

Then there was a knock on the practice room door, and Gavin's voice was calling her name, and she remembered that, oh yeah, she had a boyfriend who wasn't Austin, who had a girlfriend who wasn't Ally.

Real life. Right.

Also, it was Saturday morning, and she was hungry.

Guiltily, she stuffed Austin's jacket into the closet before answering the door.

"Morning, Ally!" Gavin greeted, chipper as always. "You seemed kind of worn out yesterday, so I thought I'd come by to check on you. Come on, I'm taking you cloud watching!"

He was holding up a basket of pickle jars and a picnic blanket. How could she resist?

So she stamped down her guilt—she hadn't _technically_ cheated on him, and it wasn't like she could really control what she dreamed about, right?—and followed him out to his truck.

As always, he was a perfect gentleman and opened her door for her, and let her choose the radio station (she immediately changed it when an Austin Moon song—_any_ Austin Moon song—came on), and spread out the picnic blanket for her, and let her have most of the pickles despite his growling stomach, and let her win whenever they disagreed over whether a particular cloud looked like a roadrunner wearing lederhosen or like a goldfish with a unicorn horn.

Afterwards, they carved their initials in a heart on a tree because she'd always wanted to do that, and then he took her out to lunch at the mall food court, and then they browsed around the various stores, and he bought her an infinity necklace, and they took a walk on the beach, and then they spent the rest of the day cuddling on her couch and rewatching their favorite movies.

Gavin was a perfect boyfriend, and Ally managed to forget about her dream.

* * *

It became a little harder to forget the dream when she had it two more times in the span of a week.

She declined Gavin's offer to take her out the next weekend, in favor of going alone to the park to think. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon that she should have been spending with her friends at the beach club, since there was no doubt that Trish and Dez would be there. But that meant Carrie would most likely also be there, which meant Piper and Austin would also be present, and Ally didn't think she'd be able to handle watching them together without Gavin to distract her.

Not that it was fair to keep using Gavin as a distraction. He was her _boyfriend_, for crying out loud! Her boyfriend who loved her and whom she loved! She was supposed to jump for joy at any opportunity to spend time with him, not continuously cancel plans with the excuse of needing to write with Austin, especially when they'd been making considerable progress with several of his songs and didn't actually _need_ to extend their songwriting sessions.

Yet that was exactly what she had been doing for weeks now. At first, it had been to make up for the Austin-and-Ally time she'd wasted because she still felt extremely guilty for ignoring Austin that first month. But then the other day, Austin had jokingly told her that he felt kind of bad for "stealing away her time with Gavin," and that was when it hit her: She _would_ much rather spend time with Austin than with Gavin, and subconsciously, she may or may not have been rearranging her plans with Gavin to do just that.

On the other hand, Austin _had_ willingly agreed to hang out with her whenever she asked him to, forgoing surfing with Piper on several occasions. It was at times like yesterday that Ally could almost believe that they were _together-_together again, when they were eating ice cream while walking side-by-side along the beach, and when Austin was brushing her windblown hair out of her eyes and hanging on her every word, and when she was absolutely _thrilling_ from head to toe whenever he so much as _looked_ at her, and when they were etching their initials together into the sand…

(Ally had gone back to that spot a few hours later, when Austin wasn't with her, only to find that the waves had long since washed away all traces of the letters. But she took solace in the knowledge that, at least for a brief period of time, they _had_ been there.)

She remembered Austin's face being _so, so close_ to hers—about as close as she'd been to grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and _yanking his lips down to meet hers_—as his breath skimmed her cheek and he cleared his throat to say, "Ally…I—" before her phone chimed, interrupting the moment.

…And then she had come crashing back down to reality because she'd _promised_ Gavin to join him for dinner to meet his parents but was only just then remembering because he'd texted to remind her. And she'd hastily added "_BFFs_" under "_A.M. + A.D._," and she'd offered a lame excuse when Austin confusedly asked her why she was unhappy about seeing Gavin's text, and she'd probably hugged him longer than was deemed appropriate for a friendly goodbye hug because she hadn't missed the flicker of disappointment in his eyes as he thanked her for the "awesometacular afternoon" and wished her luck with Gavin's parents.

The dinner had been delicious, and Ally had remembered all her pleases and thank-yous and compliments. Mr. and Mrs. Young were…nice. Very happy for their son, they'd obviously tried their hardest to make Ally feel welcome in their home. But Ally hadn't even managed to remember their first names upon introduction. And if guilt could kill, then she would have long been in a box six feet under the ground because, more than once during the dinner conversation, she'd had to snap out of her daydreams of wearing a plastic crown and practicing her silly fake British accent and easily bantering back and forth with Mike and Mimi Moon while Austin held her hand under the table and drew circles on her knuckles with his thumb…

Rats. She was doing it again.

It didn't help that she'd had that prom dream again that very night.

She'd scheduled several more "appointments" with Dr. Cupid since the mustard incident, but the only takeaway she was getting from them was that there were only three options:  
1) break up with Gavin and then tell Austin she still liked him, risk rejection because he was with Piper,  
2) break up with Gavin but hide her feelings for Austin because he was with Piper, risk never knowing if he would have rejected her,  
or 3) continue to torture herself with pretending to be happy with Gavin when she really only wanted Austin.

The obvious choice was to "send Gavin off to greener pastures," and after the complete and utter failure that was her first attempt, she'd tried several more times. It wasn't _her_ fault that Gavin was impossibly charming and sweet, or that her determination faltered faster than a toddler riding a unicycle whenever he made some hopelessly romantic gesture.

_She loved Gavin_, she'd protested to Dr. Cupid.

_Then why did she constantly forget that whenever she was around Austin?_ he'd shot back.

If only there were a way for her to put her feelings for Austin somewhere so that they wouldn't get in the way of her relationship with Gavin…

Wait.

_That's it!_

If she could put them into a song, then she'd be able to get the last of her feelings for Austin out of her system, and then she could finally be with Gavin without those emotions threatening to swamp her!

* * *

"I love it! What's it called again?"

Ronnie Ramone was hard to please, and he held onto his praise the way a miser held onto his pennies. For him to openly appreciate—no, _love_—this song…Ally was definitely not expecting that.

"Parachute," she managed to get out, recovering from her shock.

And then Ronnie was all business again. "All right, I'm going to get straight to the point. Ally Dawson, I'm going to have my team add 'Parachute' to your upcoming album. I expect to see you at my studio tomorrow."

He marched off before she could protest.

She hadn't been planning to release this song. It was private. Personal. The kind of song where she poured her heart out and then locked all the goo up in a case and threw away the key. Five or six hours of her Saturday spent translating her emotional turmoil into the language of paper and ink and lyrics and melodies. And then out of sight, out of mind.

It was just her luck that her record producer had decided to drop in and check on her when she was in the middle of singing the finished product for the first (and what had been intended to be the last) time.

She really needed a bigger "KEEP OUT" sign outside her practice room door. Or maybe a "COVER YOUR EYES AND EARS" sign…but then people would trip and fall down the stairs because their eyes would be covered…

Maybe a "COVER YOUR EYES AND EARS BUT DON'T TRIP ON THE STAIRS" sign?

Never mind.

A soundproof practice room wouldn't hurt.

"Hey, babe, are you okay?"

Gavin was standing in the doorway now.

When she didn't reply, he entered the room and joined her on the piano bench. "I heard your song. It was really good. What's wrong?"

"Gavin…about that song…" This was it—she'd just given herself the perfect opportunity to cut him loose! _I'm sorry, but that song was a love song…for someone else._ Was that too straightforward? Too sudden? Maybe it would be better to ease into it. "…it wasn't meant to be released," she said finally.

"Really? But it's so good! I really appreciate it."

Wait, he didn't actually think she'd written it about _him_, did he? The lyrics were so obviously not about him! "_I remember life before, far away dreams and locking doors"_?_ "Afraid to fall, to be free, always my own worst enemy"_? Gavin hadn't even _known_ her back when she had stage fright!

"Gavin, I didn't mean that it was bad. I meant that it was personal. _Private_," she emphasized, hoping he'd catch on.

Evidently, he didn't.

"Aw, but it's such a good song! And when your fans hear it, everyone will know just how much we love each other! In fact…you know what? I'm going to go write a love song about you now!"

"Now wait a minute! Gavin, you didn't let me finish what I was going to…and you're gone."

She stared at the lyrics she'd scrawled into her book in her frenzy to finish the song. It was no use trying to convince Ronnie to not release "Parachute" because it would inevitably lead to more questions. "Oh, you didn't write it about Gavin? Then who's it about?" She'd hate to drag her label owner into the complicated mess that was her love life. Lying that it was about no one in particular wouldn't work, either, because Ally Dawson was a notoriously bad liar, and the lyrics were very, very obvious. And within a matter of weeks, people all over the nation would be listening to them. Would they be able to put two and two together? How would she be able to fend off all the questions from the paparazzi?

And how would Gavin take it once rumors emerged that the song was about none other than her blonde popstar heartbreaker best friend? She needed to break up with Gavin sooner or later, but somehow, Ally doubted the breakup process would go very well if initiated by a rumor from an outside source. It was bad enough that she was still pining after her ex-boyfriend of over a year and fantasizing about kissing him until his lips turned blue, but writing a love song about said ex-boyfriend and lying by omission and letting Gavin believe that the song was about him was probably taking it to a whole new low.

And then there was the other, even more glaring, problem:

Sure, "Parachute" was a great song. But it didn't make the butterflies go away whenever she thought about Austin or her prom dream. Which was kind of what she'd _intended for it to do._

"_Ugh_…" She buried her face in her hands. What kind of a mess had she gotten herself into?

* * *

She recorded "Parachute" Sunday morning at Ramone Records' recording studio.

At first, she had tried singing it like it was just any other generic love song, so as not to tip anyone off that she'd actually poured her heart and blood and sweat and tears (not literally) into a love song that people would sooner or later figure out was about someone who was undeniably not her boyfriend and who had a girlfriend who was decidedly not Ally. But Ronnie didn't let her out until she'd "put more _feeling_ into it. Sing it the way you did yesterday evening!" He'd eventually released her with an "It's not as perfect as it sounded yesterday, but this is pretty good for one day. We can work on it more another time."

So now she was pacing around the practice room, mentally kicking herself for not getting a "COVER YOUR EYES AND EARS BUT DON'T TRIP ON THE STAIRS" sign and soundproofing her practice room for good measure while scheming up ways to change the lyrics enough to make it sound less personal without Ronnie noticing.

"_Ally!"_

She snapped out of her thoughts like a rubber band, then let out an involuntary shriek when she realized that standing in the doorway was none other than…

"_Austin!_" she exclaimed, loving and hating the sudden eruption of butterflies in her stomach. They were quickly crushed by a cinderblock of anxiety, though. "I wasn't thinking out loud, was I? How much did you hear? _How long have you been standing there?"_

He looked a little worried for her sanity. "Um…well, I'm here for our songwriting session, but you've been pacing around while I've been yelling your name for at least the past five minutes… And no, you weren't thinking out loud. I didn't hear anything. Are you okay?"

Relief that he hadn't heard. Shock that it was three in the afternoon already. General euphoria at seeing him again after their Friday afternoon at the beach. Crushing disappointment at the recollection of how Friday afternoon had ended and the reminder of their stupid love rectangle. The resurfacing urge to chew her hair, knowing she couldn't lie to him even if she were paid in a lifetime's supply of pickles.

Her emotions flew out of control the way only he could make them.

Then his eyes landed on a CD case on the desk. "Hey, what's this?"

Ally desperately snatched at it, but he held it out of reach. "It's nothing!" Drat. She'd spoken a little too quickly.

(She _knew_ she should have hidden the darn thing as soon as she got back from the studio. That, or "accidentally" dropped it in one of the potted plants in the lobby.)

"Nothing? So it's a blank CD? Why wouldn't you want me to see it then?"

"No reason. Now give it back!"

"It says 'Ally Dawson – Parachute' on the case. You wrote a new song?"

She tried jumping to reach it. He was too tall. "_Yes_," she panted. "And I recorded it today, and it's not very good, so I don't want you to listen to it, so _please give it back!"_

"No. I want to hear it. I refuse to believe you can write anything that's 'not very good.'"

She stamped her foot. "_Austin. Monica._"

He gulped but still stubbornly held the disc out of reach.

She took a step toward him, holding her hand out for it.

He took a step back.

A step forward.

A step back.

Then he tripped on the piano bench, which she had dragged to the middle of the room earlier and around which she had been pacing when he found her, and fell on his rear end. He was on the floor now, effectively eliminating his height advantage. "Ha! Guess all I needed to do was bring you down to my level—literally!" she gloated.

The CD had tumbled out of his hands and skittered across the practice room floor. Realizing so at the same time, they both dove to reach it first, but even from his spot on the floor, Austin beat her to it, aided by his longer arm span.

So Ally leaned down and tickled him in the sides, sending the disc sliding across the floor again while he let out a strangled squeak that she made a mental note to hold over his head for a long time.

And then, giggling, she crossed the few feet to claim her CD.

She hadn't counted on him getting off the floor so quickly or sneaking up behind her so stealthily, though. She had just straightened up from picking up the disc when she turned around and smacked right into his chest. Stumbling backwards, she tripped over her own feet and would have fallen on her own rear end if it had not been for Austin's quick reflexes.

His arm shot out, catching her around the waist, bending her backwards over his forearm and essentially holding her in a dip. Ally's giggles died instantly. Now she was entirely at his mercy, as several scenarios played out in her mind.

She could throw the CD across the room to keep it away from him, but then he'd drop her on her head to retrieve it.

Or she could continue to refuse to let him have the CD, but then he could tickle her as payback, given that he still had a free hand, and, while his other arm was preventing her from falling, it was also preventing any means of escape. (Unless, of course, she wanted to tumble ungracefully out of his arms and fall on her head. Which she did not.)

Or Trish and Dez could barge in with an air horn, catching Austin by surprise, and then Ally would fall on her head anyway.

Or her boyfriend and his girlfriend—the other two members of their love rectangle—could walk in and catch them in their currently rather compromising position.

Or she could reach up, grab Austin by his collar, and kiss him the way she'd been wanting to since that afternoon at the beach the other day—heck, since that one night in the practice over a week ago when she'd finally stopped denying that she was maybe, possibly, still hopelessly in love with him and desperately wanted to try again. And then she could close and triple-lock the practice room door, and they could spend the next several hours heatedly making out to make up for the months they'd lost…

In the end, none of the above scenarios actually played out.

Instead, still holding her around the waist, Austin said quietly, "Ally, I'm not going to listen to your song or take the CD without your permission. But I really, really do want to hear it."

Was it just her imagination, or was his voice deeper and huskier than she'd ever heard it before?

It was official. She was putty in his hands.

So, knowing he would have gotten it out of her sooner or later, she caved and handed over the disc, and he popped it into the stereo that her dad kept in the corner of the room.

But as the song started playing, she realized what she was doing.

The whole _point_ of writing "Parachute" was to get him out of her system. It was intended to be an outlet, not a confession…and now she was letting him _listen to it?_ How would he react once it was over? Would he realize that she'd written it about him? Would he give her the "just friends" speech or confess his undying love in return?

_Well…he _does_ have a girlfriend…_

She might as well wear an "I DO NOT DESERVE NICE THINGS" sign and go cower in a corner.

_Why_ did she let him listen to it?

Next to her, Austin seemed oblivious as ever to her inner torment, not even batting an eyelid at "_This love isn't gonna be perfect, the ups and downs are gonna be worth it."_

And when the song ended, he turned to her and exclaimed, "That was _awesome_! Ally, it was so, so good! I can't believe you thought it wasn't! Your fans are going to _love_ this song! Gavin's going to love it, too!"

She decided not to inform him that Gavin had already heard and misinterpreted the song as well.

_Can't you see that I love you, dumbass?!_

* * *

So, no, writing "Parachute" in the hopes of finally getting over Austin had been a total bust. Instead, it made her vacillate between emotions like a pregnant woman planning a wedding.

She loved Austin.

Gavin's doting was really starting to get on her nerves, how he could sometimes be really condescending when he baby-talked to her or how he used pickles or cloud-watching to bait her.

She also felt guilty for noticing all those little flaws about her boyfriend that she hadn't picked out before, like how he sometimes sneaked out his phone when they were watching old-timey romantic comedies and how he picked out the pickles from his burgers and hid them in a napkin. It wasn't _Gavin's_ fault she loved Austin more than she loved him.

But Austin was happy with Piper.

She hated herself for hurting him and driving him away. If she hadn't stupidly believed that she loved Gavin, then Austin would never have met Piper, and none of this drama would have—

Gavin just made a huge romantic gesture.

She loved Gavin.

Austin came into rehearsal with his clothes rumpled, hair tousled, and lips slightly swollen.

She died a little inside.

She loved Austin.

Then Gavin.

Then Austin.

Gavin.

Austin.

Gavin.

Austin.

Talking to Trish and Dez didn't particularly help, either. ("Why didn't he catch on that 'Parachute' was about him?" A shrug. "He's a teenage boy, Ally. They're kind of notorious for being dense and oblivious.")

One time, out of desperation, she asked, "Should I just tell Austin that I wrote it about him?"

"Nah," Trish responded, "it'll just make his head big—"

"—er," Dez finished.

"Seriously, though, you do change your mind a lot, Ally. Tomorrow, you could decide you want to stay with Gavin again. Make up your mind first, _then_ make a move. You don't want to wind up the way Austin did with Kira."

Gavin.

Austin.

Gavin.

Austin.

Gavin again.

Austin again.

What was this—some kind of whiny _Twidark_ drama? **[1]**

…Actually, no, it couldn't be. She didn't have two hot guys pining away for her. She was a stupid girl with a stupid boyfriend and a stupid crush who wasn't her stupid boyfriend.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, _indeed. A stupid girl torn between two guys, one of whom probably didn't even want her.

Huh, it sounded like _Twidark_ after all.

When did her life get so complicated?

* * *

**A/N:** Correction: THIS was my favorite chapter to write so far. Because Auslly moments. And _feels_. That's why it took a day longer than I had expected to update. I hope this chapter made up for the wait.

Before I go and cry in a corner and wallow in my pathetic-ness, I just wanted to let you guys know that, while I have the entire story outlined, there's still enough wiggle room that I do take into account every bit of feedback I receive.

So if there's anything you want to see, feel free to PM me and let me know, and I'll do my best to make it happen. Otherwise, the next chapter (7) will just be angsty and short and all-around terrible because there's no good way to split the good stuff in chapter 8. (This chapter was originally going to be angsty and short, too, but I was persuaded to add some fluffier moments. You guys can thank AustinAndAllyForeverX for that.)

I'm going to try to make the next update Thursday of this week. I should also warn you, though, that I have absolutely no time to write over weekends, so please don't get your hopes up for the long weekend. Chapter 7 deals mostly with promposals and the gang's plans for prom, and I've already finished the parts integral to the plot. I'd upload the chapter today, but it's really, really short (like, only 2500 words as opposed to the usual 4000-5000), and I'm out of ideas for filler moments, and I really do hate what I've written so far. So please do send in suggestions, unless you want a mediocre and all-around disappointing installment to last you through the weekend.

**[1] **I think "_Twidark_" was the parody of _Twilight_ that they used in _Sonny with a Chance_. I figured the two shows could exist in the same universe, so I went with it.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Screw brevity.

Here's chapter 7 for you to enjoy (or not; I'm not particularly happy with the way this one turned out). Updating much earlier than expected because I want to get a head start on the next chapter before the long weekend here in the States. Chapter 8 is going to be a longer and (I hope) better one, so it might take a while to update, especially since I'm too busy to write over weekends. :( Be on the lookout on Monday? Tuesday?

I think we've all had enough of Ally's indecision and waffling between Gavin and Austin, so here's a chapter where she finally makes up her mind so the plot can move on.

**The scene in the beginning of the chapter is inspired by a ten-second clip I saw on YouTube, with absolutely no context.** I don't actually know which episode it's from, but I guess it's kind of a spoiler…not really?

**Warning: Angst**. Much angst. Many angst. _All_ the angst. Please do not read this chapter if you want to spare yourself the heartache. You won't be missing much in the way of plot. I'll put a little recap of what you missed before the beginning of chapter of 8 for those of you who plan to rejoin us then.

Disclaimer: Nope, I checked. I still don't own _Austin & Ally_. This chapter will prove why that's a good thing.

* * *

It was a slow day at Sonic Boom.

Ally sighed and wiped down the counter with a damp washcloth for the zillionth time that morning.

Her father had just left for some didgeridoo convention in Wisconsin, leaving her to hold down the fort, and to say that she was dying of boredom would be a gross understatement. Trish's visits had dwindled significantly, since she was needed at Shredder's and she needed a promotion anyway. Besides, it was a sunny Sunday morning, and most people would rather spend sunny Sunday mornings at the beach than at the music store. Go figure.

Suddenly, a pair of hands slammed down on the countertop. Ally lifted her head, a scolding "Hey, I just cleaned that!" ready on her lips, but was startled to meet a pair of twinkling brown eyes that she would recognize anywhere.

Austin gave her a shy smile.

Was it just her imagination, or was there suddenly romantic-sounding music playing in the background as little paper hearts and bits of confetti rained down from the ceiling?

She blinked several times. Nope, there _was_ actually music playing and confetti falling. (She vaguely remembered Dez walking in earlier with a gramophone from the antiques store before she'd lost track of him. She'd been too busy doing inventory to wonder what kind of shenanigans he was up to, anyway. In all honestly, he'd been so quiet that she thought he'd left Sonic Boom.)

The next instant, she forgot completely about tracking Dez down because Austin had placed his hands over both of hers on the countertop, and he was looking at her exactly the way he did whenever he sang to her in her prom dream.

Having Dream Austin look at her that way always made her heart want to beat out of her chest, but she hadn't expected having Real-Life Austin look at her that same way to make her feel like her heart had finally burst free from her ribcage and was now ricocheting around the store like that stupid harmonica that had nearly killed the old lady whom Ally accidentally "dated," once upon a time…

Austin was drawing little circles on the backs of her hands now.

_Agghghhhhhh_…

He looked a little nervous, though. _Was he…?_

"Hi, Ally," he began. His eyes flicked down to their joined hands before meeting hers again. _Stupid heart palpitations_. "So…prom's coming up, and I think you and I have something really special. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather share it with…so will you go to prom with me?"

It was a simple speech, yet completely swoon-worthy and just so…_Austin,_ all at the same time.

Ally opened her mouth to squeal, "_Yes!"_ but suddenly, a loud banging on the doors interrupted. They whirled around to see Dez standing outside the store, nose pressed to the glass.

"Ally, wake up!" he seemed to be shouting.

_Huh?_

And then the entire scene dissolved away into nothingness as she jolted awake.

She was curled up on a couch in the practice room, wrapped in Austin's jacket again. (She'd taken to doing that a lot lately, though his scent was noticeably starting to fade.) _Of _course_ it would all be just a dream._

There was more pounding on the door as Dez's voice yelled her name again.

Ally groaned, untangling herself from the jacket and moving to answer the door.

"I'm buying a prom ticket for Carrie and me at school tomorrow," the redhead announced without preamble. "There's enough room at each table for eight people max, and I figured our gang could have one table together."

He was looking at her expectantly. Where on earth was he going with this? "Okay…?" she responded in confusion.

"So, do you and Gavin have a table reserved yet?"

_Oh, right. Again._

She had a boyfriend.

Who wasn't Austin.

Who had a girlfriend.

Who wasn't Ally.

_Right._

She shook her head to clear it. "Actually, no, Gavin hasn't asked me to prom yet."

"Oh, okay. Then I guess Carrie and I will reserve the table for all of us." He turned to go but paused, looking past her into the practice room. "Hey, isn't that Austin's jacket?"

_Busted._

"Er…yeah! He left it here weeks ago and never came back for it. _So_ forgetful, am I right?"

Dez just sighed and left, shaking his head.

Ally sighed, too, and stuffed the jacket back into the closet.

Prom was coming up in less than two weeks. It had become the sole topic of conversation among most members of the senior class at Marino High lately. And in all honesty, they probably should have had their date arrangements and groups sorted out at least a month ago because by now, most of the hair salons and dress shops and limo companies and whatnot were probably all swamped. Ticket sales had actually started a week ago, too, and would only continue until this coming Friday.

So she dialed Gavin.

"Hi, Ally-cat! What's up?"

She got straight to the point. "Are we going to prom or not?"

"Of course!" He sounded surprised that she would even ask. "You've dreamed about this for four years, haven't y—"

"Because ticket sales have been going on for a week now and will only go on until Friday, and prom is coming up in under two weeks." She wasn't in the mood to feel contrite for interrupting him. Not when he just _assumed_ that they were going, by default, without even checking with her to make sure that she was on board or that proper arrangements had been made or _anything_.

"Okay," he replied, unfazed.

"You didn't even ask me." At this point, she was starting to feel like a petulant child, but she was beyond caring. Of course, she could just do the twenty-first-century thing and ask him herself, seeing as it was _her_ prom, not his. But he sounded like he couldn't care less either way. How romantic.

Guess it was an _Austin_ kind of day (as opposed to a _Gavin_ kind of day) after all. Even if Austin was probably less likely than Gavin to ask Ally. Because Austin had an excuse (_cough*Piper*cough_) not to ask her.

Now Gavin sounded apologetic. "I know, and I'm sorry. I've just been so busy with my record… I promise I'll make it up to you!"

"But you don't go to Marino," she protested. "Only Marino students can buy tickets. And you're going to have to fill out the guest paperwork soon, or they won't let you in even if we _do_ have a ticket!"

"I know. Gotta go. Love you!"

And then he hung up, leaving Ally sputtering in confusion.

* * *

"Prom table's good to go!" Dez announced at lunch the next day. "You guys better get your tickets before the end of the week."

"Forget _that_," Trish grumbled. "Jace broke his ankle yesterday, so he won't even be able to come down and visit that weekend, let alone go to prom."

"You could always go stag," Austin spoke up.

As far as Ally knew, Austin hadn't asked Piper to prom yet either. She wondered if he was hinting that he wanted to go stag, as in _without _Piper.

Not that it really mattered. She didn't need any more complications. Her phone call with Gavin yesterday had been perplexing enough as it was. "I'll make it up to you," he'd said. What did that even _mean_? She had only wanted some kind of confirmation that he _wanted_ to go, something beyond an "Oh, hey, sure, if you want to…I guess." Just clarification—any clarification.

But he'd somehow only confused her further. What was she supposed to do now? Buy a couple's ticket in advance, before Gavin actually asked her? (And then _oh so romantically_ say yes by handing him the guest paperwork to fill out?) _If_ he was even going to ask her?

As her friends discussed the merits of skipping the school's official after party in favor of a _Zaliens_ movie marathon ("We can stay up all night and into Sunday morning!" "Don't get me wrong—I love _Zaliens_, but who's going to have that kind of energy?" "We could always spend Sunday watching them, too." "But I was hoping to hang out with Carrie Sunday." "Then hang out with her Monday. They're giving seniors Monday off to recover, you know."), Ally let herself imagine her picture-perfect prom dream unfold.

She'd wear that red dress that she'd dreamed about at least six times now. Austin would bring a corsage. Lester would cry. Penny would take a million pictures of her attempting to pin the matching boutonniere onto Austin's suit. Jace would not have a broken ankle, and he and Trish would pose together for adorable pictures, while JJ de la Rosa complained that no one was paying attention to him. Dez and Carrie would take a bunch of silly photos. And Didi and Chuck would probably be there, too. And after about ten tries, Ally would narrowly avoid committing third-degree murder with the pins, and Mrs. De la Rosa would swoop in and help with Austin's boutonniere. And then they'd laugh it off, and Austin would rest his chin on Ally's shoulder and hug her around the waist from behind for their couple photo, and Mike and Mimi Moon would burst into tears as well…

It wasn't _entirely_ unattainable.

Obviously, Jace's ankle would not be able to make a miraculous two-week recovery, and Chuck and Didi would most likely not be there either because Dez had mentioned something about Didi visiting colleges out-of-state that weekend. And Lester was going to be out of town, too, because he actually _was_ leaving for a business trip next week, while Penny wouldn't be returning from her research expedition in Uganda until next month.

But Ally recalled making a pact with Austin once upon a time after Trish's quinceañera. Specifically, if they both didn't have dates to prom, they'd go together.

Gavin hadn't actually promised to _ask_ her, just that he'd "make it up to her." So, if Austin was reluctant to go with Piper, then it would be okay for Ally to ask Austin…right?

* * *

The house was dark and silent as a grave when she got home.

"Dad?" she called tentatively.

There was no reply. Had he gone to bed early? How late had she stayed at Sonic Boom anyway?

She slipped off her wedges so as not to disturb her father and then headed up the stairs. She'd barely made it up two steps when there was a sharp pain in her foot.

"Ouch!"

What on earth had she stepped on?

She fumbled around for the light switch and discovered a Hershey's Kiss. Was this her father's cheapskate way of booby-trapping the stairs against burglars?

Wait, no. It was actually a trail of Hershey's Kisses, starting from the bottom step and heading…somewhere upstairs. To sate her curiosity, Ally decided to follow it, hoping there wasn't something like a giant birdcage or a giant glue trap at the end of the trail.

The trail led to her bathroom, straight to the bathtub, where she found a bouquet of roses tied to the showerhead. There was a note attached to the bouquet:

"_Now that I have kissed the ground you walk on and showered you with roses,  
will you go to prom with me?"_

And then Austin showed up in the doorway, holding a jar of pickles.

Recalling what had happened the last time she'd thought he was asking her to prom, Ally threw her arms around Austin's neck and squealed, "_Yes, yes, yes! A million times, yes!"_ before she could wake up and he could disappear.

He was real. This was real. It's wasn't a dream this time! And this punny promposal was even better than the speech he'd given her in her dream!

…But wait. Austin wasn't hugging her back. If anything, he just looked puzzled. "Yes to what?"

She froze. "Wait. You mean you _didn't_ do all this?" She gestured to the trail of foil-wrapped candies and the roses.

"Oh, no, no, no. I just stopped by to drop off these pickles. You left them in the practice room today. The chocolate and the flowers are from Gavin."

_asdfgfnlgpmgjjjjjjj—_

Ally woke up suddenly, the knots in her stomach the tightest they had been in weeks.

It was 3 a.m., and she was in her own bed, Lester's snores audible from his room down the hall.

_So much for it being real._

She groaned, rolling over. "I've _got_ to stop thinking about prom. It's driving me insane!" Nowadays she dreaded going to sleep, knowing she had about an 80% chance of having one of those dreams. Every time she went to sleep engulfed in Austin's jacket and his scent, she dreamed about him either asking her to prom or singing to her at prom and woke up disappointed. But when she didn't have the jacket as her security blanket (what had she reverted to—a three-year-old?), she ran the risk of nightmares like the one she'd just escaped…

At any rate, Austin _hadn't_ asked her to prom. And neither had Gavin.

The former bit of news was disappointing. The latter…eh, she was actually feeling kind of indifferent. By now, the ratio of _Austin_ days to _Gavin_ days was probably 6:1.

The notification light on her phone blinked, signaling a new text message. And then she remembered.

Earlier that evening, she'd received a text from Austin, completely out of the blue.

_To: Ally  
From: Austin  
6:54 p.m.  
catch me before my heart slips away_

Refusing to get her hopes up, she had simply replied, _Sorry, what?_

And now she had her response, a little envelope icon blinking at her on the bright LED screen, almost mockingly. She supposed it could go two different ways: _Sorry, that was meant for Piper._ Or,_ I'm still crazy about you, and I want you to catch me before it's too late._

Well, here went nothing. Ally opened the text.

_To: Ally  
From: Austin  
12:27 a.m.  
It's a lyric I came up with. I was afraid I'd forget it, so I texted it to you._

Oh.

So much for not getting her hopes up.

There was also a text from Gavin. She really, really hoped he knew better than to ask her to prom via text message.

_To: Ally  
From: Gavin  
10:43 p.m.  
Sorry, princess. I'm going to be out of town the weekend of prom, so I won't be able to take you after all. :(_

She didn't even bother to feel guilty for her sigh of relief.

* * *

She tried calling Gavin the next day but kept getting directed to voicemail.

"Make it up to me, _my behind_," she muttered after he didn't pick up for the fifth time.

"_Hey, you've reached the voicemail of Gavin Young. If you're a fan, feel free to leave a message, and I'll get back to you within a day. If you're my boss Ronnie, I'll get back to you within the hour. And if you're the most beautiful and talented girl in the world Ally Dawson, I'll get back to you the minute I get your message. I love you!"_

It would have been endearing if he hadn't set it as his voicemail prompt _two months ago_.

She wasn't even sure _why_ she was calling him. To ask permission to go to prom with "a friend" because he couldn't take her anyway? To see if she still mattered enough for him to pick up the phone? To break up with him?

Face it: She just wasn't feeling it anymore. So long as she still harbored feelings for Austin, there was just no way—no amount of pickles and cloud watching and star gazing and romantic-comedy movie nights—for Gavin to hold a candle to Austin.

And with three days left to buy prom tickets, Ally was seriously considering taking Austin up on that promise from two years ago, seeing as Gavin had basically dropped off the face of the earth.

Oh, she had _tried_ to justify Gavin's standoffishness. Maybe the clingy "honeymoon phase" of their relationship was over, and now they had settled into "I love you, but we don't really need to spend every waking moment joined at the wrist" territory. Maybe she had just gotten so accustomed to having him around all the time that his suddenly being busy with his own life was just too dramatic a change.

…Or maybe she'd been such a neglectful and completely unworthy girlfriend, what with canceling every other date so that she could hang out with Austin, and daydreaming about Austin when she should have been paying attention during dinner with Gavin's parents, and writing a song about Austin who was most assuredly _not_ her boyfriend, and just living and breathing Austin_ Austin AUSTIN_, that Gavin finally saw the light and decided he deserved better than to be her second choice.

In that case, it was just too bad that neither of them could grow the backbone to dump the other.

(It would also help if he could pick up the darned phone for once.)

So at her recording session at Ramone Records on Thursday, she poured every fiber of her being into singing "Parachute" the way it was meant to be sung, closing her eyes and imagining herself in her prom dream situation (only now she was singing to Austin instead of having Austin sing to her) as all the other prom-goers faded into the background, and she could have stayed there with him in their own blissful little bubble for all eternity…

When she finished the first take, she opened her eyes to find everyone else in the room—the label owner, the producer, the assistant, the sound editor, a voice coach hired from somewhere, the random intern who had just happened to walk by the recording booth—staring at her, mouths agape.

They released her then and there, babbling nonstop about how _perfect_ it was and how there was just no way they were going to tweak or tamper with it, and they could just layer it over the background vocals she'd already done on Sunday, and then the song would be good to go. So she gathered her things and left the studio.

She hadn't been planning to look for Gavin while she was there. But as fate would have it, she turned around the corner, and suddenly, there he was.

They stood there for a few seconds, mirroring each other's deer-in-the-headlights expressions.

Then Ally demanded, "Where have you been? I've been trying to call you all day."

"I'm sorry, I can explain. Just…not yet." And he fled down the hall, disappearing into the stairwell before she could chase him down.

_What was going on?_

* * *

Austin immediately asked her what was wrong when he walked into Sonic Boom later that evening.

She didn't feel like dragging him into the complicated mess that was her love life (even though he _had_ kind of been an unwitting participant from the start), so she just shrugged and said, "I've just been kind of stressed out lately, and I have a lot of things to figure out. But I'll be okay."

The look he gave her plainly stated that he didn't believe her little half-lie.

It was uncanny how well he could read her sometimes. (It was also very frustrating that he could figure her out when she didn't want him to know she was hiding something, yet when she actually _wanted_ him to pick up on her hints, he was denser than a brick.)

Nevertheless, he didn't press the issue, opting instead to insist that she take a break and relax with him at the beach for a bit. And who was she to deny herself a chance to spend more time with him?

The fact that he was the one trying to cheer her up, while her _actual_ boyfriend was missing in action, wasn't lost on her.

So they walked over to the beach and found a secluded spot in the dry sand, where he laid out his jacket for her to sit on. She had to dig her fingernails into her palm to keep from holding his hand when their arms accidentally brushed. And then they sat in silence, watching wave after wave pummel the shore but never quite reach as far as the spot where they were sitting.

One large wave in particular came close enough to _almost_ lick at the sleeve of Austin's jacket.

_So close, yet so far._

A breeze picked up, and Austin wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

As if on cue, Ally's heart fluttered in response to the contact, even though her mind was racing in confusion. Was he doing this because he might possibly still return her feelings? Or was it out of pure _friendship_ because he thought she'd be cold?

Either way, she doubted Gavin or Piper would be pleased if either were to walk by and come across the two of them like this, especially since the last time they had been in this position was probably when Austin was saying, "I guess we're officially a couple now."

Then again, she _had_ kind of brought this entire love rectangle upon herself. _You don't deserve him, so take what you can get._

So she leaned her head against Austin's shoulder and sighed. "I think Gavin's been avoiding me."

He didn't respond, but his arm tightened around her in a gesture of comfort.

"I'd been trying to reach him all day, but he either had his phone on silent or was deliberately ignoring it. And then I went to record at the studio today and ran into him there, but when I tried to talk to him, he just ran away."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must suck. Want me to beat him to a pulp for disappointing you?"

She considered informing Austin that she was disappointed not because Gavin didn't want to talk to her but because she didn't get a chance to break up with him. But when she looked up at him, the look of concern in his eyes stopped her. And then she felt even more terrible.

Now was not the time to tell him how she felt. Not when he was genuinely trying to help her. Not when she let him believe that she was heartbroken over Gavin. Not when in reality she was lusting after _him_. She could not, _would_ _not_, take advantage of her best friend like that.

So she managed a small smile and shook her head in answer to his question. "I'm sorry I'm bogging you down with my relationship drama."

"It's okay. That's what friends are for, right? You can vent to me all you want."

"It hurts." _It hurts that you think of me only as a friend._

"I know."

A sniffle. _No, you don't. You have no idea._

"Ally, are you…crying?"

"No." _Yes._

"Ally, you _are_. Tell me what I can do to help."

"He promised he'd make it up to me."_ You could love me back._

"What?"

"Prom. He didn't ask me to prom, but he said he'd make it up to me…but he didn't." _But you don't._

"He didn't ask you to prom yet?!"

"No. He said he'll be out of town, so he can't go anyway."_ You didn't ask Piper to prom either…did you?_

"I'd ask you."

_Then why _don't_ you? Why do you only ask me in my dreams, just to disappoint me when I wake up? Because you have a girlfriend you'd rather ask instead? Because you'd rather go with your girlfriend than go with your best friend? Because that's all we're ever going to be?_ He just didn't _get_ it, did he?

The next instant, they'd sprung apart. The angry palm-shaped white mark on Austin's cheek almost glowed in contrast to the dusk sky as he stared at her, stunned.

The tears she had been battling back were falling freely now. "Then why _don't_ you? Because you're going to ask Piper? Because you'd rather go with your _girlfriend_? Because, as your _best friend_, I'll only ever be second-best?"

"Ally—"

"_No_, Austin, I get it! You're not obligated to take me because I don't have a right to make you. And I don't want you to ask me out of pity." She balled up his jacket and threw it, hitting him squarely in the chest. "Go on, ask Piper to prom! Goodness knows she's waited long enough! I would have waited longer, but I'm sick and tired of false alarms and—"

The hurt in his eyes reeled her back to her senses.

What was she _doing_? She'd just slapped—_slapped_—her best friend when he'd done nothing but try to help her. _He_ didn't know about her dreams! The Austin who "asked" her to prom in her dreams was merely a figment of her imagination, her mind's way of saying, "This is what you could have had if only you hadn't let him go!" How could she slap him and blame him for her own idiocy? How could she expect him to make a move when she couldn't even muster the courage to let him know she _wanted_ him to? How could she accuse him of passing her over for someone else when she'd never even had a chance to begin with?

The white mark on Austin's cheek was no longer glowing. Probably turned an angry red, but it was too dark out now to see, the only light emanating from the city skyline in the distance.

Wordlessly, Austin brushed the sand from his jacket and then shortened the distance between them until their foreheads were almost touching.

She expected him to yell right back at her. She deserved it.

But Austin's voice was quiet and exhausted when he finally spoke. "All I was going to say was, I would've asked you, but I was afraid that the way I asked would never be creative or special enough to be what you deserve."

And then he walked away.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Austin forgave her instantly when she apologized at school the next day. He must have felt sorry for her and chalked her outburst up to the heartache Gavin had supposedly caused her.

Trish informed her later that Austin had, in fact, per Ally's demand, asked Piper to prom last night.

…Funny how she found out she'd had a chance only after she'd blown it to smithereens.

* * *

**A/N:** …Yeah…see what I mean? You were probably better off not reading this chapter. All it did was set up the next one in a way that completely and unnecessarily tore our hearts in half. I was actually considering scrapping the whole thing and just inserting the gist of what transpired as a one-paragraph flashback sort of deal in chapter 8. But then we would have missed out on the kisses-and-roses promposal scene, which was something my friend actually did, and I really wanted to include that, even if it was just a dream.

Also, for the record, I think dreams are the lazy writer's way of portraying a character's subconscious feelings. I subscribe to the belief that in reality, dreams are just your brain doing weird things because you're not capable of logical thinking while you sleep. Because (in my humble opinion) Freud's theories are a load of sexist crap. And yet here I write Ally having _two_ "subconscious desires" dreams, in addition to the one from chapter 6. _Bleggghhh_… I hate this chapter so much. If you're going to review, please don't feel like you have to hold back. Feel free to hate on it. Or not review at all. I'm just going to move on and write the next chapter and forget that this one exists because it just makes me want to cry in shame. There's a good reason I never aspired to become a published author. ;-;


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** OMG, you guys. You _guys_. If you thought chapter 7 was an emotional train wreck, it was nothing compared to what your reviews did to me. Thank you all so much. You're really too kind.

I didn't actually intend to make the last chapter so melodramatic, but, well, Ally's been sitting on her feelings for so long that she had to snap at some point. It was originally just going to be a missed opportunity sort of thing, where Ally would plan to ask Austin, but then she'd get to him too late.

But I re-read it and wanted to curse it to the pits of hell because it was so hackneyed and predictable, so then it turned into "when you're out of ideas, better to make some of your audience cry than to make all of them roll their eyes." I'm sorry. This fic was supposed to help people cope after seeing "Hunks & Homecoming" and "Fashion Shows & First Impressions," but it probably hasn't been doing a very good job of that lately.

Also, *coughs awkwardly* I suck at updating on time. But the site was being wonky yesterday…? (As I post this, it's already Wednesday where I am.)

**There will be some parts (e.g. the prom court and the very last part of this chapter, to name two) borrowed straight out of "Proms & Promises" or "Last Dances & Last Chances." **Other parts may or may not be spoilers. I might just be a really good guesser. We'll see when those episodes come out. Also, there's a pretty important plot point from "LD&LC" that I've decided not to include because I don't want my story to be a replica of the show. I won't tell you which part, but it'll be pretty obvious if you've seen the footage and go, "WTF? Where's the part where…?" when you finish this chapter. It's a bit underwhelming.

In other news, I finally got around to seeing "Fashion Shows & First Impressions." The ending just about killed me. Dez and Carrie are the cutest.

**Warning: Language**

Disclaimer: I do not own _Austin & Ally_.

* * *

**Recap of Ch7** (for those who didn't want to die of heartbreak and are just now rejoining us): Prom's coming up. Jace has broken his ankle and won't be able to be in Miami for prom; Gavin still hasn't asked Ally. Eventually, he reveals that he won't be able to go to prom after all and starts ignoring her phone calls and avoiding her. Ally's confused by his sudden change in behavior, but she really hasn't been feeling it for a while now and plans to break up with him. She has two dreams in which she thinks Austin asks her to prom, only to wake up disappointed. Austin, meanwhile, _seems_ oblivious as ever to the fact that Ally wants to go with him, and the two get in a fight because Ally snaps. They make up soon after, but Austin has already asked Piper to prom instead.

And now for the actual chapter…

* * *

Status:

Dez and Carrie: ticket purchased, all set  
Austin and Piper: ticket purchased, all set  
Trish: dateless and ticketless  
Ally: dateless and ticketless  
Ticket deadline: today  
Prospects: bleak  
Countdown to prom: 8 days

On Friday, Ally arrived at the lunch table to find Trish considering not going to prom at all while Austin tried to wheedle her into changing her mind.

"What's the point? Jace can't go, and probably every eligible guy in the grade is already taken by now, so I won't have a date anyway."

"Aw, come on, _please_? It's the last big event of high school besides graduation, and I want to celebrate it with all my best friends."

"Yeah," Ally chimed in, "you've dreamt of this for four years of high school. You even have your dress picked out already. You can't stay home and not have fun just because you won't have someone on your arm when you walk in!"

"Wasn't that what _you_ were thinking about doing?" Trish countered.

"Well—yes—but that's different." Ally blushed as Austin whipped around and fixed her with a strange stare.

It had scarcely been an hour since Trish had informed her that Austin was taking Piper to their prom, and just a little over three hours since Austin had forgiven her for slapping him last night. Ostensibly, he had put the incident behind him—they both had—but Ally could tell, from the look in his eyes right now, that they were both putting in a lot of effort to act normal around each other.

And, _boy_, was the struggle real.

After all, she _had_ told him that she'd been waiting for him to ask her to prom for weeks now. And he _had_ basically told her that he wanted to ask her, that she _hadn't_ been his second choice or "old reliable" safe choice, after all. His parting words the previous evening had played in her mind all night like a record stuck on repeat, clawing at her like some kind of parasite hell-bent on tearing her apart from the inside out. "_I would've asked you, but I was afraid that the way I asked would never be creative or special enough to be what you deserve_."

It must mean he had still felt _something_ for her.

_Had_ still felt something.

He asked Piper to prom instead. Ally had probably destroyed any chance she'd had with him when she slapped him. She was lucky enough that he didn't hate her now. _Why_ she didn't run after him when he walked way or call him later that night, she would never know.

Just one more missed opportunity to add to the myriad chances she'd never get back…

But then why was he looking at her like that right now? His expression was mostly confused, maybe a little guilty, but there was something else underlying all of that. Had Ally been feeling more optimistic, she would have dared to believe that it was the same way he looked at her in her dreams. At any rate, she found herself unable to look away or even blink, for fear that it would turn out to be just her imagination.

It was as if, after the hurricane that was the events of the previous night, this was the eerie calm that settled over everything the next morning, the one that could mean either that the storm was over or that this was just the eye. And somehow, the calm was even more nerve-wracking than the storm had been because the tempest could very likely resume without warning.

Fortunately, the _Love Whisperer_ himself showed up then to snap them out of it.

"Hey, Trish, I think I might have found a replacement prom date for you. I checked with my sister, and Didi actually _is_ going to be out of town next weekend, so Chuck needs someone to go with, too."

Trish made a face. "Wait, you mean to say he's _not_ pulling a Romeo and killing himself because he can't spend his senior prom with her?"

"Trish. Come on. Ticket sales end today, and you need a date."

Trish gave in when Austin brought out the puppy eyes. "Oh, all right, fine! But if he asks, I'm only doing this because splitting a couple's ticket is cheaper than getting a single's."

As she left to go find Chuck, Dez turned to Ally. "As for you…" He winced and patted her shoulder. "Sorry, it looks like you're going to be the awkward unicycle in this bike parade."

* * *

The plan was for their group—Austin, Piper, Dez, Carrie, Trish, Chuck, and Ally—to meet up at the beach for pictures and then take a limo to Marino.

Unfortunately, by the time the others had convinced _poor dateless _Ally to "just buy a single's ticket already," all the limo companies in Miami had been booked to the max weeks ago. The crisis was eventually averted when Austin talked to Jimmy Starr, and the guy had been nice enough to let them borrow his personal limo for the night, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

This was it. They were going to take zillions of pictures and then arrive at prom feeling like movie stars and then eat rubbery chicken and dance to bad music and have a "_bitching_ good time" (Trish got a little excited there) and then throw up said rubbery chicken later in the parking lot before watching _Zaliens_ movies to their hearts' content.

* * *

In the week leading up to prom, Ally's convictions that she'd blown any chance she'd had with Austin wavered _just_ a little more with each lingering look and glance he sent her way. The storm was well and truly over, and with her rising hopes came the resurfacing of those "OMG I LOVE HIM SO MUCH" feelings. They spent every afternoon after school that week together, fooling around with melodies on the practice room piano or walking arm-in-arm around the mall.

And they talked about anything and everything, except for their love lives.

Which was fine by Ally, even if she was kind of dying to know if Austin was growing bored of his girlfriend the way Ally had grown bored of Gavin. She wasn't about to voluntarily jump into those shark-infested waters to ask, though.

Besides, not talking about their love lives didn't necessarily mean that those spontaneous jam sessions _didn't_ tend to transform into impromptu "eye-fucking" sessions (Trish's words, not Ally's), or that arm-in-arm walks around the mall _didn't_ turn into hand-in-hand strolls through the park.

By some unspoken agreement, they avoided the beach, but that didn't prevent the sense of _déjà vu_ Ally felt one particular afternoon after school when she and Austin were lying side-by-side on a picnic blanket spread across the floor of the practice room.

Neither of them had spoken in a while, but Austin was running his hands through her hair absently, somehow managing not to tangle it all up or pull it out by the roots the way Gavin always did. Feeling bold, Ally had wriggled a little closer to him, turning her head sideways to face him just as he turned to face her at the same time.

Their gazes locked.

Almost indiscernibly, Austin's eyes flickered down to her lips before meeting hers again and thereby resuming his assault on her emotions. At some point, her hands had found his free hand, and she realized that the hand that had been playing with her hair had gone to cradle her head as Austin leaned closer and closer…

Their faces were once again _this close_, and Austin once again got as far as "Ally, I—" before they once again jerked apart. This time, it was a text from Piper that interrupted.

(Not that it made any difference whether or not Piper had texted, because seconds later, Ally got a text from Gavin telling her—not even asking—that they were going out to dinner at Olive Garden on Sunday. She declined, feeling the opposite of guilty.)

Meanwhile, Austin sighed and regrettably informed her that he had to go meet Piper to shop for their corsage and boutonniere.

Another prolonged _friendly_ goodbye hug inadequately substituting for the kind of hug she _really_ wanted from him.

It was like trying to sate her pickle cravings with a bale of hay.

She had to physically pinch herself out of her daydream world to remind herself that Austin belonged to someone else. Better to tamp down those expectations before she soared so high with them that she could hit terminal velocity when they inevitably let her go splat.

What was that saying? Something like…

_Start low so you don't have as far to fall_.

Yeah, that was it.

Thus her hopes oscillated up and down all week like one of those sinusoidal waves in Austin's physics book that she so often saw whenever she was helping him study for the upcoming final.

* * *

On Friday, Ally found herself slumped in her seat at Shredder's, poking listlessly at the fruity drink Trish had set before her out of pity.

She always did hate the beach.

A little ways off, Austin and Piper were taking a break from surfing, seated side-by-side on beach towels on the sand.

They were happily chatting away.

A stab of jealousy. Ally could count on exactly zero hands the number of comfortable, effortless conversations she and Austin had been able to have when they were on a date together.

Austin and Piper even looked good together: tall, blonde, and athletic.

Another stab of jealousy. The only thing people thought of when they saw Ally with Austin was probably how much she resembled a cute little kid he was babysitting.

She glowered as Austin threw back his head and laughed at something Piper said.

All the stabs of jealousy.

She always did hate the beach.

The worst part was that they didn't even do PDA. Piper wasn't leaning on Austin's shoulder, and Austin wasn't holding Piper's hand or running his thumb over her knuckles. At a glance, Ally could almost dare to believe they didn't even appear to be a couple, just a pair of friends hanging out at the beach. (Of course, her brain had to then remind her heart that Austin and Piper were, in fact, a couple because "Ausper" was still trending on Tweeter, and Austin himself had _only_ _said so on TV, _and—oh yeah—they were _going to prom together_.)

She couldn't even imagine how Austin had possibly felt, back in the pre-Piper days when he'd still liked her, having to watch her and Gavin fawning all over each other. "_We're going to the pickle factory!"_ she'd prattled to Austin._ "Isn't Gavin the _sweetest_?"_

She deserved to get punched in the face.

After all, Austin and Piper were just _sitting_ there, not even acting all lovey-dovey, and Ally was already dying inside.

She always did hate the beach.

* * *

So by the time the big weekend finally rolled around, Ally had changed her mind entirely about going to prom—even if just to have fun and hang out with her friends, even if she had been dreaming about this occasion since she was a lowly, invisible freshman.

Why would _any_ girl bother going if she was going to be the seventh wheel, and the only person she wanted to go with was unavailable? It was _just _prom. Missing it wouldn't be entirely life-altering or something she'd still regret at age eighty. She'd rather not go at all than go without Austin anyway. At least then she wouldn't have to watch him having a good time with Piper. She didn't need another dagger in the heart reminding her of what she'd let slip through her fingers.

Besides, she hadn't bothered to go dress shopping. And they weren't even paying for the limo, so it wasn't like she was needed to help split the cost. The only money she'd be wasting would be the forty dollars she spent on her ticket, which was partially refundable anyway.

And her dad wasn't due back from his business trip until the following morning, so she had the house to herself once she got off from her shift at Sonic Boom. Yes, staying home would be for the best. Maybe she could write a bajillion more love songs and drown her sorrows in fruity mint swirl and indulge in chick flicks for the rest of the weekend…

_To: Ally  
From: Trish  
5:14 p.m.  
Want me to drop by at Sonic Boom so we can walk over together to meet up with the others?_

Even Trish had someone to go with despite the fact that _her_ boyfriend couldn't make it. So when Ally got her best friend's text, she simply replied that she was bailing and that she hoped they'd have a good time and takes lots of pictures.

She expected at most an "_Aw, why?_" or a "_Suit yourself, but you're gonna miss out!"_ or maybe even an "_Okay, but we'll stay a little longer for pictures in case you change your mind."_

What she hadn't been expecting was for the entire gang—all decked out in formalwear—to turn up at the doors of Sonic Boom forty-five minutes later when they were supposed to be rendezvousing at the beach.

"Whoa!" Trish exclaimed. "Tank top and colored jeans? _Girl_, you look like Cinderella…before the bibbity bobbity boo."

("Why didn't we all dress like her?" Dez wondered to Chuck, without a hint of irony in his voice. "We look like idiots!")

And then there he was: Austin, looking achingly handsome in his suit and tie as he approached the counter. "Ally, don't listen to them. You look great," he assured her, folding her hands into his. "You _always_ look great."

Hopes skyrocketing, just like her heart rate.

The way he was smiling at her was almost enough convince her to change her mind and go to prom as she was, if only he could keep looking at her like that…but then she noticed Piper standing in the background.

Blonde hair curled to perfection. Long, flow-y pink dress. Matching wrist corsage. Flawless.

Hopes plunging into the Grand Canyon.

She yanked her hands out of Austin's and pretended to busy herself with clearing the counter of clutter. "I'm not going, and you guys are going to miss prom if you keep loitering in here. Have a good night!" She all but threw the whole lot of them out of the store before flipping the sign on the door to "CLOSED."

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Ten minutes later, she was sitting in the practice room, wrapped in Austin's jacket again, and attempting to find inspiration from random lyrics she'd jotted into her songbook over the years, when there was the sound of a key turning in the lock downstairs. Then…

"What's my daughter doing staying in all by herself on the biggest night of her senior year?"

She almost fell out of the couch. "Dad!" she gasped, running down the stairs and throwing her arms around her father. "What are you doing here? I thought you were coming back tomorrow!"

"I could ask you the same thing, Ally. What are you doing at the store when you should be at prom?" Lester paused, pulling away. "Wait, it _is_ Saturday, right? I didn't come back on the wrong day to surprise you?"

"No." Ally managed a laugh. "No, prom's tonight. I just decided at the last minute not to go."

"…I figured as much. You look like Cinderella before the bibbity bobbity boo."

"Gee, thanks, Dad," she said dryly. "That's exactly what Trish said about my outfit earlier."

"What? Oh no, I was talking about the look on your face."

"Huh?"

"You look like the evil stepmother just locked you in the tower, and now the evil stepsisters are about to steal the prince away, too."

"Um…that happened _after_ the ball, Dad."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Details, details. The point is, you look really, really sad. Don't you want to go to prom?"

"Well, yes—but I don't have a date or a dress or a ride or anything. And Aus—the prince already has someone else to dance with, and she's not even an evil stepsister because she's really, really nice, and he's going with her because I messed up really badly, and—"

"Honey, prom doesn't _have_ to be a romantic thing. It's about being in the company of friends and enjoying one last school-sponsored event together before graduation. Are you actually going to let some boy control whether or not you have fun on the biggest night of your high school experience?"

"I...I guess not… But what if Cinderella's not even invited because the prince is mad at her for liking an imposter?"

He raised an eyebrow. "As you used to remind me every day when you were little, Cinderella didn't want to go to the ball because of the prince. She wanted to go to the ball because she wanted a night off. You remember that, right?"

"Right, but—"

"Good. Then you'll be interested to know that I found this note slid under the door on my way in. And I trust you won't be _too_ disappointed if—_if_—it turns out _not_ to be what I suspect it is." He held up a folded and stapled slip of paper with her name scrawled across the front in _very_ familiar handwriting.

Ally gasped and snatched it away, almost tearing the paper in her eagerness to open the message.

Seconds later, Lester Dawson chuckled as a mix of shock and delight spread across his daughter's face. He fished his credit card out of his wallet. "So I _was_ right. Come on, let's go get you a dress."

* * *

Meanwhile, Austin, Piper, Carrie, Dez, Chuck, and Trish were posing for pictures at the beach.

Mike and Mimi Moon were getting teary-eyed. Austin was pretty sure he was, too, but only because Mrs. De la Rosa's camera flashes rivaled those of Megan Simms.

Trish seemed to only want her picture taken alone, stubbornly refusing to get into the group and couple photos. Either she _really_ couldn't stand Chuck, or she _really_ didn't want Jace to see the pictures on MyFace and find out she'd gone to prom with someone else. Chuck was just about as reluctant to be in the group and couple photos. Maybe it was a height thing. Or maybe he didn't want to hurt Didi's feelings either.

Either way, Austin was feeling a little bummed out. Not that he minded posing with Dez in nearly all the photos, seeing as the guy _was_ his best friend of over a decade. And their dates _were_ sisters, so the pictures were doubly cute. But it would have been nice if one of his best friends would actually get into the group photos they were supposed to be saving for posterity and all that jazz.

And if one of his other best friends had actually shown up.

Not that he would pose with her in a couple photo or anything. He already had a date, so he was kind of required to spend the evening with Piper. And she was a great girl.

But it still would have been nice to have Ally with them.

Eventually, the limo arrived in the beach parking lot, and after only a few more photos (he _was_ a superstar, so everyone had kind of gotten used to the glitz and glam), they were on their way.

A large crowd had already gathered in front of Marino High when they arrived, and a collective sigh of relief was breathed when there were no reporters in sight. The cafeteria had been decorated in pastel streamers and balloons. The usual sauce-splattered lunch tables were nowhere to be found, replaced by round ones with white tablecloths and (electric) candle centerpieces. The decorating committee must have intended for the effect to be romantic, but Austin couldn't help but feel that Ally would have been able to appreciate it more.

They located their table to set their things down and dispersed to mingle with their classmates and use the restroom.

Austin found Trish pacing and wringing her hands. "Uh…are you okay?"

"Austin, I've made a horrible mistake! How can I be okay? Do you know how it feels to be here with one person, when there's another person you'd much rather be with?"

He was about to point out that this was just prom, not her wedding. Instead, he turned to the door, and…

It was like a moment straight out of a movie: The most wonderful things in the world (and possibly above it) were walking into the room. No—gliding. The most wonderful things in the world were _gliding_ into the room, and he could not possibly fathom why she was here at a high school prom, with all its cheap decorations and bad music in a too echo-y school cafeteria, when she clearly belonged to a higher realm of existence.

A pantheon of deities might as well have swooped down and held a neon "SOULMATE" sign over her head.

Dez's voice ("Oh, hey, look! Ally made it after all!") brought Austin back down to earth.

He seized Trish by the shoulders. "Trish! I've made a horrible mistake, too! I'm not supposed to be here with Piper—I'm supposed to be here with Ally!" Then he cringed. Was that too loud?

Apparently yes. Chuck cut in just then, having stopped by to join them. "Yeah, well, ye shoulda thought o' that b'fore ye asked yer date. She's comin' back from the ladies' room righ' now, and ye _are_ kinda obligated t' spend a m'jority o' the evenin' with 'er, seein' as she's yer date _and_ yer _girlfriend_, so suck it up, Blondie. Besides, ma Didi ain't here, but ye don' see me ditchin' Trisha here."

"Um…it's okay." Trish visibly edged away. "You don't need to feel obligated to spend time with me."

"Suit yerself." Chuck wandered off to mingle some more, while the others scattered.

Piper joined him then. She didn't look particularly upset. Maybe she didn't hear him frantically yelling that he didn't want to be at prom with her.

"Hi, Austin. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah! Why?"

"Well, I noticed Ally walking in just now. This is what you wanted, right? You're going to be spending senior prom with all your best friends, but you don't look too happy about it." (Shoot. She was observant.)

_Well, I just realized that you were right, and I should have asked Ally to prom instead of you. Would it make me a bad person to ask you to go home now? _

…_Yeah, it would._

He fumbled for an excuse. "Oh, uh, I just…feel really bad for Ally because Gavin wasn't able to come. It must really suck not being here with the person you want to be here with."

"Mm-hm. Are you _sure_ we're talking about Ally and Gavin, though?"

"_Whaaaaat?_ Of course! Who else would Ally want to be here with? Why wouldn't it be Gavin?"

"Because I could have sworn that Ally was looking around for you. That _was_ why you left her the note, wasn't it? To tell her that we—"

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't expecting her to see it _now_. I wasn't expecting her to show up at all, and now I don't know what to do!"

Piper rolled her eyes. "_Relax_. Just go up to her to say hi. And then ask her to dance after they serve dinner. It's not that hard."

"What? No, no, trust me. There's no way Ally's here because of me. She's been here about as long as we have, and she hasn't even said hi to me yet."

"Um, _duh_. That's because you're _still_ standing here talking to me, instead of seeking her out."

He spotted the girl in question on the other side of the cafeteria, standing amidst a group of guys he didn't recognize. Probably from Calculus Club. Ally was giggling at something one of them said.

"What's she laughing at?" he sulked. "They shouldn't be allowed to make her laugh!"

Just then, the guy who'd made the joke turned away to talk to someone else, and Ally immediately stopped giggling (she must have been working on her fake laugh), her huge eyes darting around the room as if she were seeking out only one person in particular. And then she was looking straight in Austin's and Piper's direction.

Piper just raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

He sighed. "Okay, you have point. But I asked _you_ to be my prom date, so I can't just—"

"Hold that thought." Piper fished her phone out of her purse. "Hello? …_Carrie_? Why are you _calling_ me? Did you get lost? …Oh… In the second pocket? Okay, I'll try. Hang in there!"

She hung up and headed for their group's table. "Sorry, Austin, I gotta go. Carrie's stuck in a bathroom stall with a broken lock, and I need to go rescue her. Do you know where Dez left his backpack? She says she's pretty sure there's a screwdriver in there somewhere…"

Moments later, Austin was the one getting a phone call from Piper.

"So…this is really awkward, but I think one of the water fountains in the hall is overflowing, and we're all trapped in the bathroom…?"

_We?_ Austin could hear screams of terror in the background.

Wow. First the broken stall door, and now a flood. He'd never been in a girls' bathroom before, but it sure sounded dangerous.

Pocketing his phone, Austin headed for the bathrooms to investigate…

Oh, _gross_.

The catering company hadn't even started to serve rubbery chicken for dinner yet, and someone had evidently already managed to throw up in the water fountain. The combination of vomit and wet paper towel clogging the drain, plus the fact that the button on the water fountain was stuck in the "on" position, would definitely explain the giant puddle spreading down the hall and into the girls' bathroom.

Luckily, one of the custodians arrived on the scene just then to take care of the situation, and the girls in the bathroom stopped wailing about getting their dresses and shoes wet, although, from his vantage point in the hall, Austin could see them all still trying to stand on the toilet seats to avoid the flood.

Piper, ever the levelheaded one, finally cleared a path to the door with paper towels. The flooding in the hallway was less severe than in the restroom, but he figured it was better not to risk having Piper slip and ruin her dress, so he gave her a piggyback ride back to the cafeteria.

Just as they neared the doors to the cafeteria, Piper muttered, "Drat."

…And that was how Ally found them, probably on her way to the bathroom. Austin and Piper shared a grimace. _Play it cool, play it cool, play it cool…_

He faked happy surprise. "Ally! You decided to come after all!"

"Wow, you look great!" Piper added.

Ally just mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "But you always look better" and excused herself.

"That went well," Austin commented wryly once she was out of earshot.

"She'll come around," Piper assured him. "That was just bad timing. But, um, I think it'd be best if you put me down now."

"Oh, right."

* * *

Dinner seemed to end once a majority of the prom-goers decided they were bored of making small talk and wandered over to the dance floor.

Chuck had immediately wandered off on his own, having taken it upon himself to start a conga line with Sunhee, so Austin, Piper, Dez, and Carrie made a beeline for the dance floor to avoid being recruited.

Once dance later, Piper had wandered off to hang out with Carrie and Dez, reasoning that, after the misunderstanding and debacle that was Ally finding her clinging to Austin's shoulders, it was probably best if she didn't see the two of them dancing together. He'd tried to protest, but Piper had disappeared into the crowd with a "Well, here's your opportunity, so you can either go for it or leave it."

He was currently weaving aimlessly through the tables, distractedly mumbling hellos to whichever classmates acknowledged him. Every once in a while, he found his eyes drawn, not unlike moths to a flame, to a certain someone in a red dress on the dance floor.

The Marino High Student Council Dance Committee had evidently run a list of songs by the sixty-year-old principal for approval because the music was awful. No lyrics, just weird beeps and boops that sounded suspiciously like the "music" from his Tune-Pro dream. (Fortunately, no one was dancing like they had water in their ears yet.) Why couldn't they play one of his dance pop songs?

So, yeah, Austin wasn't particularly in the mood to dance.

Brooke had stopped by to ask him earlier, having spotted him standing alone by the refreshments table, but he informed her that he was "waiting for his date." For once, she took a hint and flounced away, leaving him to continue…observing Ally as she danced amongst some other singles

Shortly after signing her to his label, Ronnie Ramone had recommended that Ally take some dance lessons, and Austin was proud that she was improving thanks to him. She _had_ "learned from the best," after all. But evidently, there would always be something in her moves that just screamed _Ally_. Her dancing was still slightly reminiscent of her "The Ally Way" days, and it was just so stinking cute…

Suddenly, his view of Ally was blocked by a rather annoyed-looking Trish. "Austin, you're staring again. And the person you're staring at is not your date."

"Yeah, buddy," Dez chimed in. (When did he get there?) "And don't think Piper hasn't noticed. She's watching you stare at Ally right now. Actually, here she comes!"

His friends fled as Piper arrived on the scene. "Nice knowing you!"

She got right to the point. "Look, I've been watching you staring at Ally all night. Are you going to make a move, or are you just going to keep sending her mixed signals?"

"Huh?" (Ally just did a little twirl that made her dress fan out around her.)

"Mixed signals, Austin. You gave her the note, right? But you barely said a word to her during dinner. Even though she was sitting right across from you."

"I'm not sending Ally mixed signals," he defended. "I was counting on her seeing the note _after_ tonight. Besides, I asked _you_ to be my date, so the least I can do is the socially acceptable thing and honor that. Ally seems to be having fun just fine without me."

Ally chose that moment to run over, exclaiming, "Austin! They're playing your song! We _have_ to dance to this one!"

Did he want to dance with Ally? Of course. Would he rather dance with Ally than with Piper? As long as she didn't trip over his feet and send them both into the punch bowl. Was he going to abandon Piper to make that happen? It was tempting, but…

Dang it. Someone must have complained about the awful music because the song that had just started playing was "Timeless," which couldn't have been less appropriate.

So he stammered, "Uh, no. That's okay. Maybe later."

Piper just sighed as Ally walked away. "Again, what I said earlier about the mixed signals. Seriously, Austin, it's okay. I don't want to get in the way. And you don't need to feel bad about ditching me. I've got Carrie and Dez. You should at least try to enjoy tonight with someone you actually want to be here with."

"Wait, what? No, no, it's not that I don't—did you hear—how did—?"

"I heard what you said to Trish earlier."

The deejay chose then to turn up the volume, and Piper raised an eyebrow knowingly at "_My heart will never ever change."_

"I wrote that song last year," he protested weakly.

The look on her face wasn't the least bit upset or surprised. Just pitying.

* * *

After a lot of wandering around and a little bit of busting out a move or two because "T-Lame" just _had_ to come to Marino High's prom as someone's date and needed to be reminded who was boss, Austin took a seat at the table, where he found Trish moping, and sighed.

Trish sighed in reply.

"From the looks of it, they're just going to be playing songs and dancing for the rest of the night. Prom is just an overdecorated version of yet another lame school dance."

"Wait. I thought you went to the winter dance with Roger last year. You said it was fun."

"Only because someone sneaked in a bunch of marshmallow guns, and even some of the chaperones joined in. And Chuck wasn't there to start a conga line."

So, heads propped up in their hands, they sighed again.

Then Trish checked the time. "If we can gather everyone up, we can leave now and still have enough time to watch four _Zaliens_ movies before midnight—"

"Aw, but I just got here," a familiar voice mock-pouted from behind.

They whirled around, and there he was. Leaning on a pair of crutches but present nonetheless.

"_! ! !"_

Austin made a mental note to apologize on Trish's behalf to the poor souls who happened to be sitting close by and who were now probably making mental notes to go see an ear doctor.

Chuckling at their shocked expressions, Jace said, "What? I just thought I'd come down and surprise you."

"But how did you _get_ here?"

"Well, people on crutches can still ride buses, you know."

"I meant, how did you get in?"

"The lady in charge of the door has a daughter who's an Austin Moon fan."

Austin groaned. "Oh great. What do I have to do? Besides an autograph, I mean. Perform at her birthday party and dance with both grandmas?"

"Nah, she already has an autograph. She just wants you to break up with Piper and date Ally again. I told her I'd try my best."

The cafeteria had grown a little too stuffy and warm for Austin's liking, so he excused himself and wandered outside to get some fresh air, leaving the happy reunited couple to catch up.

A slow song was playing now.

Was it considered proper etiquette to save at least a slow dance for one's prom date?

_Oops_.

Oh well. It wasn't like Piper wanted to dance with him anyway. She just kept throwing him significant Looks from across the room and not too subtly mouthing, "Dance with Ally!" every time he caught her eye.

But he'd also lost track of Ally after he'd turned down her offer to dance.

_Oh, dear god, I hope she didn't go hide under a table…_

Why _did_ he turn her down anyway? It wasn't like dancing to a love song with Ally was going to hurt Piper's feelings. Especially since his date had seemingly made it her mission to play matchmaker until "Auslly" somehow magically poofed back into existence!

Perhaps he should go back inside and check to make sure Ally was okay. Maybe ever so subtly ask if she got his note. And then even more subtly ask if she wanted to slow dance with him…?

Shit, who was he kidding? Ally technically still had a boyfriend. She'd probably only come to prom because Gavin had encouraged her to at least try to have fun without him. While most people would consider dancing together to a fast number like "Timeless" to be within the range of Socially Acceptable Things People Can Do As Friends, Austin was fairly certain that slow dancing with a friend to whom he was crazily attracted was probably pushing it. Even if she weren't bitter about him inexplicably turning her down earlier, Ally would still most likely refuse Austin's offer to slow dance because she wouldn't cheat on Gavin.

Why was love so _risky_?

"Because if it weren't, then it wouldn't feel so special when the risk pays off?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. "_Piper?_ You scared the living daylights out of me! What are you doing out here?"

"Wondering where you went. What are _you_ doing out here anyway?" She wrinkled her nose. "You realize you're standing right next to a cloud of gnats, right?"

"_What?_" He flailed his arms around. Sure enough, he felt something ticklish brush against his hand. "Ew!"

"Yeah. You should probably come back inside. Ally's looking for you. If you hurry, you can still get to slow dance with her before this song's over."

Immediate cessation of arm flailing.

"What? No, no, no, I can't do that!"

"Why not? No, wait. Let me guess—because you 'don't want to ditch me'? Even though I've been encouraging you all night to go make your move? _Please_. If you were avoiding Ally because you 'didn't want to ditch me,' then I wouldn't have had to look all over the place for you. And I definitely wouldn't have found you out here talking to a cloud of gnats, of all things."

"I just…" He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. "I messed up really badly."

"Well, the longer you wait to patch things up with Ally, the more pissed she's going to be with you. If you ask me, I think this entire evening has just been one disappointment after another for her."

"Then what should I do?"

"For starters, don't ask me because I don't have all the answers. I don't know—go back in there and just tell her how you feel? Just do _something_."

"Easier said than done," he muttered.

"Well, what's scarier? Telling Ally how you feel and _maybe_ risking rejection? Or just sitting on your feelings and letting the next guy come along and snatch her up when she gets tired of waiting for you again? Because I didn't break up with you just to watch that happen."

She had a point. Piper always had a point.

After all, she'd only agreed to be his prom date because she felt sorry for him.

"_Jesus freaking Christ, Austin, it's midnight! What are you doing here so late?" Piper peered past him, squinting at the darkness beyond her porch light. "You didn't drive here? My god, did you just _walk_ ten miles all the way out here in the dead of night?"_

"…_I guess I did. Piper, will you go to prom with me?"_

"_Um…where did this come from? Wait, what's that mark on your f—have you been _crying_?" _

"_I'm fine. Ally just got a little…upset." _

"_Well, I don't think I've ever seen her mad enough to slap someone. If she actually slapped you, then 'upset' would be putting it mildly," Piper snorted. "Come on in, I'll get you some ice for that."_

_She seated him at the kitchen table with an ice pack and listened patiently as he recounted the events of the evening up to the point where he'd tucked his jacket under his arm and walked and walked and didn't stop walking until he found himself in her driveway._

"_So…you're asking me to prom because Ally wanted you to ask her instead, and you wanted to ask her anyway? Austin, what sense does that make?"_

"_Ally hates my guts, Piper. She'd never agree to go with me." _

"_Right. She hates you _so_ much that she really, _really_ wants to go to prom with you. Austin, it doesn't matter if Ally's mad at you. If you want to go with her, then you should at least put yourself out there and ask her!"_

"_Ally has a boyfriend. She only slapped me because she's been really upset that he can't make it to prom, and now he's ignoring her. Besides, I should have asked you a long time ago. Please, Piper?"_

"_Fine," she relented. "But on one condition."_

"_What's that?"_

"_That we break up. Right now."_

"…_Sorry, _what_?"_

_This would make the second time he had to end a relationship because of his feelings for Ally. How many more would there be? How many more girls did he have to disappoint? And why did it have to be Piper, of all girls for this to happen to? _

"_Face it, Austin. You still have feelings for Ally. And Ally still has feelings for you. It's only fair that I step out of the way and let you two have another chance." _

"_So you're not mad? After what happened with your last ex?"_

"_Eh, he was just an asshole in every way imaginable. You're a really great guy, Austin, and I want you to be happy."_

Austin sighed as the last notes of the slow song died out. How many more missed opportunities would there be before he could finally find the guts to do what he had to do?

"Thanks for the pep talk, Piper. And thanks for being so cool about everything. You're a really good friend."

"Yeah, well…" She shrugged modestly. "What can I say? I've been hanging out with _The Love Whisperer_ and _The Love Robot_ a lot lately."

* * *

When he returned to the cafeteria and joined Dez and Carrie by the refreshments table, a blonde girl in a blue dress pounced on him, exclaiming, "Austin Moon! Where have you been? You're not leaving soon, are you?"

It took a minute for him to recognize Kimmy, the crazy peppy Manatee-loving cheerleader, out of uniform for once. "Um, no, I don't think I'm leaving soon…"

"Good. People are already starting to leave, so we're going to have to announce the prom court sooner than planned."

"Um…what does this have to do with me?" Why couldn't this crazy girl leave him alone? Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ally hesitantly taking a seat next to Piper at their table.

Kimmy was already running for the stage they'd set up next to the deejay's stand. "Trust me, you're going to want to stay for this!"

And then she announced that he'd been voted Prom King.

Austin vaguely remembered having a giant spotlight aimed obnoxiously in his face as Dez excitedly swung him around in a hug and then pushed him toward the stage.

The next thing he knew, he'd had a plastic crown shoved onto his head, and Ally, having donned the Prom Queen's tiara, was throwing her arms around his neck as the entire class of 2014 cheered them on. Then a slow song came on, and he was taking Ally's hand and leading her over to the dance floor as everyone gathered around for the King and Queen's dance.

And then finally, _finally_, he had Ally in his arms, and she was beaming up at him almost—dare he say?—adoringly as he drew her closer and felt her hand tighten around his.

Over her shoulder, he could see Piper giving him two thumbs up and mouthing, "Now or never!"

By now, most of the spectators had paired off and were dancing as well, which provided about as much privacy as he could ask for in this setting. So he pulled away slightly, just enough to look Ally in the eye.

"Sorry I didn't dance with you earlier," he began sheepishly. "I, uh, I'm not sure what came over me."

She smiled. "It's okay. I was interrupting you in the middle of a conversation with Piper anyway."

"Listen, Ally. About Piper and me—"

"I know, Austin. She told me herself. And I got your note."

And with that, the weight of the thousand cinderblocks of anxiety that had been crushing him down for three months, ever since he had first heard of a certain Gavin Young, dissolved into nothing.

Well, almost nothing. There was still that little detail where he still had to tell Ally exactly how he felt about her. But that could be easily taken care of.

"Ally?"

She nodded encouragingly, as if sensing the trepidation in his voice.

"There's something I need to tell you—"

A whinny interrupted.

Startled, everyone turned towards the door as a knight in shining armor riding on a _real, live, actual_ white horse entered the cafeteria.

And then the weight of the thousand cinderblocks returned in full force. And it seemed as if they'd invited their two thousand boulder friends along. And three thousand anvils must have decided to join in for funsies, too.

Ally's expression was one of shock and utter delight.

_Fuck._

Austin felt his heart sinking, as if it were actually attached to the one thousand cinderblocks and two thousand boulders and three thousand anvils, as he realized there could only be one guy on the entire planet who would be willing to do such a cheesy thing.

The horse stopped before the Prom Queen, and the knight took off his helmet.

Yep, good ol' Yee-HAW was back. **[1]**

"Ally Dawson, will you be my date to the prom?"

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry I didn't make Austin's and Piper's relationship status all that obvious until toward the end. Part of it was for dramatic effect (though I'm pretty sure _that_ effort completely fell flat), but mostly I did it because there wasn't really any way to bring it up earlier without the chapter getting more clumsy and exposition-heavy than it already was.

**[1]** To the guest reviewer who goes by "kk": I know this chapter was kind of anticlimactic for those of you who've seen the spoiler. Trust me, there actually is a twist coming next chapter. I just got too tired to write it into this chapter because it works better in the next one. So hang in there...? I don't actually care much for Gavin either, and I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when you called him "Ye Haw," so I went back and edited the ending of this chapter to reflect that. Thanks for the giggles!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Yeah…chapter 8 didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped it would. Never again will I attempt to write in Austin's perspective. I hope this chapter makes up for the disappointment.

To "kk": I responded to your review to chapter 8 by adding a footnote, but then I figured you probably wouldn't go back and see if I made any changes, so here it is again: Just wanted to let you know that I really don't care much for Gavin either, and I loved that you called him "ye haw," so I went back and edited the ending of chapter 8 a little. It's still a craptacular cliffy, so I hope this chapter makes up for it. (I added a little throwback in this one, too.)

***I promise this chapter will be pretty much (if not completely) angst-free. I hope it's fluffy enough to make up for the anguish I've put you guys through. This will be the last real chapter of this story, but I do have an epilogue in the works.***

**There aren't any real spoilers in here unless anyone **_**really**_** wants to look for things to be mad about. Then you can probably make a case that there are spoilers.** And then lose because there aren't.

After writing this chapter, I realized there are quite a few similarities between this fic and book 12 of the _Princess Diaries_ series. That's probably not a coincidence. Gavin reminds me a lot of JP, and I despise them both, so yeah…

Disclaimer: I do not and never will own _Austin & Ally_.

* * *

"_Gavin?"_

And there he was. The perfect boyfriend. The long-lost love finally making his reappearance. Her literal knight in shining armor riding in on a white stallion to sweep her off her feet and carry her away into the sunset…

Wait a sec. He didn't go to Marino. And as far as Ally was aware, he hadn't filled out any of the guest paperwork. Forget the horse—how did _he_ even get into the building? And what was he doing _here_ instead of in Alabama or wherever he'd said he was going to be, promoting his album?

None of that mattered the next instant because he'd taken off his helmet so she could see his electric blue eyes, and then he proclaimed in front of the whole school, "Ally Dawson, will you be my date to the prom?"

Up close now, she could see that the suit of armor seemed to be made of some kind of cheap aluminum that squeaked whenever he moved. And the horse was brown, but he'd painted it white.

But then Gavin was dismounting and taking both her hands into his, and she remembered that this was actually a _dream come true_, to be wooed by a handsome knight in shining armor. It was probably _the_ most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her, and just the fact that he'd probably spent the entire past week avoiding her _for the sole purpose_ of setting aside his career to come surprise her tonight…wow. He'd probably also spent the entire past week searching through various ranches in the area for the perfect white horse before resorting to painting a brown one because he felt none of the white ones were good enough. How could she _not_ forgive him?

Ever the gentleman, Gavin pressed a soft, sweet kiss to the back of her hand as she blinked back tears, and all the onlookers cheered. And either Dez had brought a gramophone to prom in his backpack, or the deejay had decided to play some soft romantic music in the background, but Ally really couldn't be bothered to care at the moment because she was just so, _so_ happy.

Gavin heroically brushed away her tears and whispered in her ear, "That's not all though. I told you I'd make it up to you, and I haven't quite done that yet."

Then, arm around her waist, he guided her over to the side of the room, saw that he still had everyone's attention, and declared more loudly, "I just wanted to let everyone here know that Ally Dawson is the love of my life, my soul mate, my other half, and the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me. And I wanted to know if…"

With a flourish, he pulled aside one of the tulle curtains to reveal the window overlooking the students' parking lot. _What_…?

And she saw it.

A freaking_ fireworks display._

Everyone let out a collective gasp as the display formed the words "_MARRY ME, ALLY?" _and she turned around and found Gavin suddenly down on one knee and holding out a small black velvet box…

A knight in shining armor riding in on a white horse? A public declaration of undying love? A fireworks display of a proposal by said knight in shining armor? Her dream proposal (minus the in-public part)?

It didn't get much more perfect than this.

As the senior class of Marino High held its breath in anticipation, Ally opened her mouth to say her fateful yes…

…And then the romantic background music came to a screeching halt as she spotted the individual faces in the crowd that mattered most.

Trish and Piper: face-palming. Dez: chewing his fingernails over a bowl of popcorn he was sharing with Carrie. Carrie: confusedly turning to Dez and whispering something while discreetly jerking a thumb in Austin's direction.

_Austin_.

Looking like someone just drove a fist into his stomach.

The next instant, she couldn't see Austin's face anymore because she was staring at the back of his head. He'd turned around and was disappearing into the throng of prom-goers.

Moments later, the echo from the slamming doors brought Ally fully back to reality. The reminder hit her like a lightning bolt, that 1) she was only seventeen; 2) she didn't approve of animal cruelty, no matter how romantic the intention; 3) Gavin had just turned something extremely personal to her into a public spectacle; 4) they'd only been dating for three months (two, if she wanted to get technical); and 5) she'd been planning to break up with him because he'd been getting on her nerves for weeks now.

So, ignoring the gasps and whispers, she took the little box, snapped the lid shut, and dragged Gavin out into the hall by the wrist.

"Gavin, what was that?"

He seemed startled by the question. "Well, I know I told you I'd be out of town this weekend, but then I realized that you're more important to me than my album. So here I am." And then he grinned widely and held out his arms, as if to say, "_Surprise!"_

"I meant the horse. And this suit of armor. And the fireworks."

He cocked his head to one side like a clueless puppy. "Did I do something wrong? I just thought it would be a romantic way of apologizing for not being around so much lately. If it's too much, we could do something simpler. How about a midnight picnic with pickles and heart-shaped salami? I could serenade you with a love song I wrote last week."

What was this? Another attempt to bait her into falling for his shenanigans? To mess with her mind and make her vacillate between him and Austin like she was perpetually on her period?

_Not this time_.

"Gavin. You spray painted a brown horse white. That's animal cruelty! And the fireworks? Is that even legal on school property? Not to mention I'm only seventeen! I'm too young to get engaged! My dad would kill me! And was it really necessary to make a public spectacle out of something that you _know_ I find really personal? For you to do that was incredibly embarrassing and distasteful, not to mention presumptuous!"

Okay, maybe that last part was pushing it a bit. She probably sounded like a Veruca Salt-caliber spoiled brat whose diamond shoes were too tight. After all, the poor guy was just trying to make up for missing a majority of her prom night, and she was tearing apart everything he did like nothing would ever be good enough…

So she cringed and waited for him to yell right back at her. Accuse her of being a bratty ingrate. _Something_.

It would be their first actual fight as a couple. Then at least she'd know he wasn't some kind of emotionless robot who just smiled and nodded until she calmed down. Then at least she'd know that he _cared_ enough to argue with her instead of ignoring her until she transformed back into sweet, chipper Ally.

But Gavin just smiled sheepishly, scratched the back of his neck, and said, "I'm sorry, Ally. You're right, it was a bit too much. Let me make it up to you. How about—"

Was this guy for real?

"_No_, Gavin. And don't think I said no because of the way you asked. Don't think I haven't seen you throwing away the pickles in your sandwiches when you think I'm not looking. Do you even _like_ pickles, or were you lying to me? And the cloud watching and movie nights, too. Did you really think I didn't notice you sneaking out your phone every time? If you don't like pickles and cloud watching, then why didn't you just _tell_ me, instead of letting me think you were the perfect guy?"

Nope, she definitely wasn't feeling guilty anymore. Because it wasn't just her imagination. He _was_ actually treating her like a petulant child who could be cured with a trip to the candy store.

She'd always thought Gavin was the "perfect guy" because she was blinded by her weakness for cheesy romanticism. Now she realized that her gut feeling had been right—that something had always felt "off" about her _perfect_ relationship, not just because she still had feelings for Austin but also because she and Gavin seemed just a little _too_ compatible. They'd never even had a real argument because Gavin immediately agreed with whatever she said.

She sifted through her recent memories for _one thing_ they didn't allegedly have in common.

Favorite ice cream flavor? Fruity mint swirl.  
Favorite song? "Me and You."  
Favorite restaurant? _A La Mour_.  
Favorite work by Shakespeare? _Romeo and Juliet._  
Favorite food? Well, he _claimed_ it was pickles…but then why would he sneak them out of his burgers and hide them in a napkin? To save them for later because he _loved_ them so much? _Please_.  
Favorite movie? Well, to be fair, he had asked her first. She'd replied, "_Letters from a Lover Long Lost_," prompting him to exclaim, "Me too!"

(She then laughed and informed him that she was just testing him because no such movie existed, and he laughed, too, and promised her that if he ever went on tour without her, he would write her "a bazillion love letters, and they'll make a summer romance blockbuster so big, it'll make _Titanic_ and _The Notebook_ quake in their shoes." And then she admitted that her favorite movie was actually _Roman Holiday_, and he immediately replied, "Me too! It's like we're connected on a _deeper level_ or something…" and they spent the rest of that afternoon cuddling on her couch because she'd been too much of an idiot to see what he was really doing.)

On the other hand, she barely had anything in common with Austin, and he was always encouraging (dragging) her on adventures to experience new things. Sure, they fought occasionally, and fighting with Austin really, really sucked, but they always talked things out in the end. And while Austin was certainly less clingy than Gavin, he was always there for her when it really mattered.

Apart from that brief interval when they were trying too hard to be the perfect couple, too scared to hurt each other's feelings, Austin never had qualms about expressing his opinions, especially when they disagreed with hers. And Ally would never admit it out loud, but she may or may not have deliberately picked a few fights just to get a rise out of him. (What? An angry Austin was a _hot_ Austin, with his eyes blazing and his hair perfectly messed up from his fingers running through it in frustration… Could anyone blame her?) The fact that she could talk to him about pretty much anything was just one more thing she loved about him.

_Well, you know what they say about hindsight and 20/20 vision…_

So Gavin had lied about his favorite food and _maybe_ about his favorite movie. Was it too much of a stretch to believe he'd lied about all those other things, too? It _had_ to be too much of a coincidence.

Was it even true that she was his first girlfriend? Or was that just another thing he'd made up—some sort of rags-to-riches story of a poor nameless nobody who'd invested all the blood, sweat, and tears to rise to stardom and become worthy enough to woo the princess he'd fallen hopelessly in love with—to appeal to her silly romanticism? Why would he lie to her about all those things anyway? Did he have some kind of ulterior motive in dating her?

How well did she _truly_ know Gavin Young if their entire relationship subsisted on lies and distractions?

Obviously, one way to find out for sure would be to go through MyTweb for all those interviews he'd done before they met. But was this guy really worth firing any more neurons over?

At the moment, Gavin was looking rather confused. She realized she'd stopped yelling at him midsentence.

"Uh…Where was I?"

"You thought I was the perfect guy," he supplied helpfully, still smiling dimwittedly.

"I thought you were the perfect guy," Ally echoed slowly.

Oh, right, she was in the middle of yelling at him for lying to her when she got interrupted by her epiphany.

Pity it didn't hit her two months earlier.

"I thought you were the perfect guy," she repeated. "But now I know I was just a colossal idiot."

And then he looked guilty as charged. "I'm sorry I lied to you, Ally. I just wanted so badly for this, _us_, to work out. I-I'll do anything—just give me another chance!" He gestured at the ring box she was still clutching in her hands. "You don't even have to agree to marry me yet. I promise I'll be honest with you from now on."

And there it was again. The M word. Could she honestly say she wanted to settle for an infuriatingly cheerful husband who would smile and take her out for ice cream, even after she broke his banjo into a million pieces because she'd finally snapped and burst into tears, screaming that she _much_ _preferred pop-rock to country,_ and _why couldn't he be a popstar instead,_ and _did she mention she hated_, _hated, HATED_ _country music?_

Did she _really_ want to wake up one day with five kids, a sixth one on the way, a smiling idiot who agreed to everything she said like a bobblehead, and no idea how she'd gotten there?

Being uncertain about her future was scary, but she knew she could deal with whatever curveballs fate threw her way as long as she had Austin. They could go to college together, or they could get married and settle down one day, or they could stay "just friends" and keep making music and doing what they did best. They could both lose their record deals and become dirt-poor, but she had no doubt she'd still follow him to the ends of the earth. Because they were _Austin&Ally_, and it was probably written in the cosmos that they would always be _Austin&Ally_, no matter who came into the picture. He wasn't perfect, but she was pretty damn sure that, at least to her, he came as close to perfection as they got in this universe.

Yes, uncertainty about her future was terrifying. But even more terrifying was the absolute lack of uncertainty that would be her life, should she spend the rest of it with Gavin.

So she pressed the little black velvet box back into his hand and closed his fingers around it.

"Maybe you will," she replied, "but I'm breaking up with you."

For a moment, her softer side faltered at the absolutely crushed expression on his face. How could it not? Here was a guy who loved—_loved_—her, with probably not a single malicious bone in his body. But for whatever reason, he had gotten it into his head that he had to pretend to be everything he wasn't in order to be with her. People made mistakes, and Gavin's only mistake was to try too hard to be the perfect guy for her…

…and then that moment ended. Because the image of her true perfect guy's face reacting to the proposal, forever burned into her retinas, flashed across her mind. And she remembered all the pain Austin had gone through, having to watch her with Gavin—all the pain _she_ had caused him when she'd allowed herself to be misled. Nothing could justify that.

"I'm sorry, Gavin. This isn't going to work, no matter how hard you try."

And then she let go of his hand.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

"Trish!"

As Ally approached the table, her curly-haired best friend's eyes narrowed and darted to her left hand. She tried not to let it offend her that Trish would actually think she'd said yes to Gavin. After all, it was only Austin's departure that had finally knocked some sense back into her.

Even so, Ally was a little hurt that Trish just gave her a curt nod in greeting. "I see you're not wearing his rock."

"I said no."

"Yeah? Was the armor not shiny enough for you?"

"Trish, I don't have time for this. I need to find Austin. Has he been here?"

"Haven't seen him in the cafeteria since the good Sir Yee-Haw of Cornyville got here. Why are you looking for him anyway? So you can ditch him again two minutes later when Gavin serenades you with an entire marching band?"

Dez cut in then. "Aw, come on, Trish, be nice!" he scolded. "Maybe Ally's looking for Austin so she can tell him that she finally broke up with Gavin. And then she'll jump into his arms, and they'll live happily ever after!"

"Right," she scoffed. "And maybe I'm the Queen of England."

"No, really!" the redhead insisted. "I saw this in a movie once: It was 1862, and there was this colonel from a really wealthy family, and…"

Deciding that her friends weren't going to be much help, Ally left them to their bickering and wandered away to resume her search.

She tried calling Austin, but he didn't pick up. She was a little hurt that he would ignore her calls, but then she remembered seeing his phone lying on the table when she was in the cafeteria earlier, before Kimmy had announced the prom court. He must not have gotten a chance to get his phone back, since he'd been shoved onto the stage, and then he had led her onto the dance floor and run off when Gavin showed up…

A quick trip down the hall told her that, besides the cafeteria and the hallway directly outside it, all the doors in the school had been locked up for the weekend. So Austin couldn't have wandered off anywhere in the rest of the building. That instantly ruled out the library, auditorium, music rooms, gymnasium, swimming pool, classrooms, and locker areas.

Where else could he possibly be?

She tried her best to imagine what she would do if their roles were reversed. Where would _she_ run if Austin suddenly interrupted the slow dance they'd been sharing by turning around and proposing to Piper?

Probably somewhere private, where no one could see her sob her heart out.

That ruled out the bathroom, as there was a constant stream of people going in and out.

_Oh god, I really hope he's not crying under a table right now._

Alternatively, he could have gone outside to escape the cafeteria, which by now had gotten unbearably stuffy and kind of smelled like tired, sweaty teenagers who had been dancing for the past three hours straight.

Yeah, that was probably more reasonable.

She hurried outside and scanned the rows of limos parked in the student parking lot.

Almost immediately, she spotted a lone figure standing on the far end. It was too dark out to make out who it was, though she was fairly certain the person was male and quite tall. But he was making his way toward the lot exit, and this could be her only chance. So she bunched her dress in her hands and started running down the sidewalk toward the designated crossing area.

What? She may have been desperate to find Austin, but she wasn't about to let herself get run over by a stray school bus or limousine. Besides, the rules clearly stated that pedestrians on school grounds must adhere to designated crosswalks, and rules were rules—

Con_found_ it all, she just lost one of her shoes.

"Oh, for crying out loud! What next? Is one of the limos going to turn into a pumpkin and explode all over me? _Raspberry plastic tickle-bear twat-waffles_!"

Cursing her asinine decision to wear high-heels to prom (but mostly Catherine de' Medici and the Italian shoemaker who had invented them in the first place), Ally wasted several precious seconds debating whether or not to keep hobbling after the mystery guy or to return for the stupid thing.

She was only about a third of the way across the parking lot, and the guy was nearly at the exit. Should she yell for his attention, or would it be unnecessarily weird if it turned out not to be Austin? If she ditched the other shoe, could she make it to him in time? Or should she not risk having Gavin come across them and—heaven forbid—try to win her back by spinning a story about how he was clearly the right guy for her because he found her "glass slipper"?

In the end, feeling a little bit like Cinderella and a big bit incredibly ticked off, Ally decided to double back and retrieve it.

She'd had just about enough of romantic clichés.

* * *

The mystery guy turned out to be none other than Gavin.

_Awkward_…

As soon as she'd gotten close enough to discern his identity, Ally turned and marched back toward the school. She was going to have to make a trip around the outside of the building, as there really couldn't be anywhere else for Austin to be. Unless he was no longer on school grounds, and she really didn't want to think about that…

_To: Ally  
From: Trish  
11:36 p.m.  
If you're looking for Austin, can you hurry it up? We need to get the group together to leave soon._

Looked like prom was nearly over. Dang it, she'd better find him soon.

Of course, she could always wait until tomorrow to see him, seeing as she'd known where he lived ever since two days after they first met. But the same gut feeling that had told her something was wrong with her relationship with Gavin was now telling her that if she didn't find Austin this very night, she was going to wind up living alone with either twenty cats or newlyweds_ Trish&Dez_. Either way, it was a pretty nauseating thought. Or maybe that was just the chicken they'd served at dinner earlier. She _knew_ she should have gone with the vegan option like Piper had—_no, no, no, Ally, stay focused!_

She was about to type a reply asking Trish and Dez to check under the tables when she rounded what she'd thought was a corner and smacked right into the wall.

_So _that's_ why they tell you to watch where you're going when you text…smooth going._

Wait a minute. Brick walls didn't usually go, "Oof!" when you ran into them.

They also didn't gasp your name upon recognizing you.

And they definitely didn't leap forward upon colliding with you and catch you around the waist to steady your footing, saving you from landing on your rear end and possibly injuring yourself.

So whatever she'd crashed into must be either a _very_ talented brick wall or…

"Austin!"

…And then, in true Ally Dawson fashion, she tripped on the hem of her dress and nearly fell again. And in true Austin Moon fashion, he laughed and saved her from falling a second time, this time keeping his arms around her waist and pulling her in closer.

And in true _Austin&Ally_ fashion, they realized their current position and froze, staring at each other, laughter ceasing as legs turned to jelly, and insides erupted in butterflies and sparks and flowers and rainbows and fireworks and every other cliché imaginable.

Maybe clichés weren't so bad after all…

"I broke up with Gavin," she heard herself saying. _Whoa…were your eyes always this gorgeous?_

"I figured," he responded. "I saw him leaving just now."

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere." _Were your lips always so…kissable-looking?_

"Looking for you."

"Oh." _Were your arms always so…solid?_

Silence.

_Forget the niceties! Can I kiss you already?_

"What…" Her voice faltered, and she almost chickened out. _No, no, no, don't think about chicken, or you might actually throw up on him! _"What were you going to tell me earlier? Before Gav—_he_—interrupted?"

He hesitated. "I'd tell you, but I have a feeling we'll just get interrupted again. It wouldn't be the first, or second, or third time."

Her heart sank.

She had a pretty good idea what he'd been trying to communicate to her possibly for weeks now—her mind flashed back to the moment when she'd first told him she was dating Gavin, then to the time they'd been interrupted at the beach, then to the time in the practice room last week—but had he changed his mind _now_? Had he decided that maybe all the interruptions were the universe's way of telling them it wasn't meant to be?

No, he _couldn't_ have. His arms were still holding her flush against him, and his eyes were still fixed intensely on hers, lips slightly parted, heart racing, breathing growing increasingly unsteady… He looked the way she felt.

In love.

And terrified.

He needed reassurance that she was on the exact same page as he was. That she would catch him and break his fall this time. That she wanted this as badly as he did.

She leaned a little closer, not missing the way his breath caught or the way his eyelids flitted shut for a split second.

"Then don't tell me," she whispered. "_Show_ me."

And maybe all the stars were aligning or something, because he seemed to have understood exactly what she was saying. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed once, and then his eyes drifted shut, and he leaned in…

He was taking too long. Their faces had already been dangerously close, but at the rate he was approaching, she was going to die of old age before it could happen. Heck, Catherine de' Medici herself could rise from the dead and take a plane from wherever her grave was in Europe to Miami, and she could still make it in time to interrupt Austin and then get her revenge on Ally for cursing her earlier. Was he _waiting_ for someone to interrupt, as if daring fate to be the _witch_ she usually was, whenever their relationship was concerned?

Ally was having none of that. Before she could think twice, she'd pounced on him, grabbing the collar of his suit jacket and sealing her lips over his.

Their first-ever kiss had been hesitant and sweet. The second had started out angry but had escalated into an almost make-out session during which both participants forgot all time and place and the fact that they were on camera and were being asked to "stop kissin' now" by the rockumentary director himself.

This kiss was something from another world entirely.

He staggered a little when she grabbed his collar, but then the instant, electric connection between them shorted out every synapse in her brain and shut down every sense but taste and touch.

His lips were so, so, _so_ soft and warm, and though a foggy corner of her brain registered that he tasted exactly the way she'd remembered, the flood of emotions they were triggering in her was so intense, so scalding, that she could almost believe she was kissing him for the very first time again, when the feel of his lips pressed firmly against her own felt so foreign yet exactly like home.

Her legs gave out as his tongue brushed hers, and he stumbled forward with her, their fall only broken when her back hit the brick wall behind her, provoking groans of complaint from both when they were briefly separated. And then his hand found her hip and somehow managed to pull her even closer, and _her_ hands were fisting in his hair as he pressed her into the wall, possessive and determined and unhurried and tender all at the same time.

Eventually, Ally's consciousness managed to resurface long enough to register that they were no longer kissing but just standing—leaning—there, Austin's arms wrapped tightly around her, surrounding her with his warmth and his scent and his heartbeat and the lingering taste of his lips.

She knew that they should probably get back to the prom. They had a King and Queen's dance to finish, and their friends were probably looking for them and could interrupt at any minute…

But then Austin pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead before burying his face in her neck, and she figured maybe they could stay here just a little while longer…

* * *

The returning limo ride was a little crowded, as now it was Austin, Ally, Trish, Jace, Dez, Carrie, Piper, and Chuck.

The others had seemed entirely unsurprised when, a whole half hour after Trish texted Ally to hurry up and find Austin, the two of them returned to the group table with their cheeks flushed, lips swollen, hair disheveled, and fingers interlocked.

He hadn't let go of her hand since, even when climbing into the limo one-handed and maneuvering over the friends who were already seated inside got a little tricky.

Currently, Austin was holding Ally in his lap, arms protectively around her waist. She would have expressed mortification at being in such a position so soon after getting back together with him (especially since all they'd done was a ton of making out and absolutely no talking about the current status of their relationship), but Austin had insisted on her safety after the driver took a few too many sharp turns and sudden brakes.

They dropped off Piper, Carrie, and Chuck at home before stopping by at Dez's and Austin's houses to pick up their overnight bags. By then, it was nearly 1 a.m., and they were reluctant to inconvenience their limo driver by asking him to stop at Ally's house, which was just a little too out of the way. So it was determined that Austin would bring an extra set of clothes for Ally, and then they finally rolled to a stop at the de la Rosas' for their _Zaliens_ marathon/after party/slumber party.

When they arrived, Team Austin-and-Ally (plus Jace, his crutches, and his luggage), walked into the kitchen to find that all their parents (even Dr. Penny Dawson, dialing in on Skype from Uganda) had gathered around the table and waited up to surprise them. So then Trish parents met (and loved) Jace, and then Lester, Penny, Mike, and Mimi got out their cameras, and they had a do-over prom photo shoot to make up for the one Ally and Jace had missed earlier that evening.

And then Mrs. De la Rosa went out to the garden to pluck a red rose to match Ally's dress and replace the pink one, and Austin and Ally got to have their cute little clichéd boutonniere-pinning fail moment, and Mrs. De la Rosa came to the rescue, and Austin wrapped his arms around Ally's waist and rested his chin on top of her head for their couple photo, and Lester and the Moons cried, and JJ de la Rosa woke up from all the commotion and complained that no one was paying attention to him.

Eventually, all the parents either went home or went to tuck JJ back into bed before preparing to call it a night themselves, and Team Austin-and-Ally (plus Jace, his crutches, and his luggage) set out their sleeping bags down in the den and prepared themselves for the night to come.

As the opening credits rolled across the screen for the first movie, Ally sensed Austin's presence behind her and shivered as he whispered in her ear, "Have I told you that you look absolutely adorable in my shirt?"

She willed her blush away and replied, "Only about five times already."

"Oh, get a room!" Trish shouted suddenly from her spot on the armchair.

Ally felt Austin's smirk against her neck, so she swatted his hand away from her thigh.

A few moments later, he whispered, "I'm going to Sonic Boom. Meet me there in five minutes."

When she arrived, she found him waiting in the practice room, a slow, romantic song playing on the stereo. He kissed her cheek, then bowed and held out his hand for a dance, even though they were both clad in sweatpants and oversized T-shirts.

Nevertheless, Ally laughed and let him scoop her into a hug, and then they stayed there, swaying in place…

When the song drew to a close, she pulled away and inquired, "Austin, what is this ridiculousness?"

"Well…I figured you wouldn't really care to sit through a _Zaliens_ marathon, and we never actually got to finish that slow dance, so…"

She was too stunned, too touched, to speak.

When she didn't reply, Austin suddenly looked a little uneasy. "I know it's not exactly how you probably pictured tonight, and I'm not as creative or romantic as Gavin was, and I probably should have done this when we were still wearing our prom clothes because we look ridiculous right now…but I really wanted to make up for running off when Gavin showed up tonight, and now I've ruined everything because I mentioned him, and (oh dear) this was probably a really, really dumb idea, and way too cheesy, and I probably shouldn't have done this after all—"

She cut him off with a quick peck on the lips and then snuggled against his chest as the next song started.

"It's perfect."

* * *

**A/N:** …So this was probably the first kissing scene as well as the first bit of fluff I've ever written in my life, be it for fan fiction or for any kind of creative writing. How did I do?

(Just FYI: The epilogue is going to be shorter than a regular chapter, so given that it's currently early Saturday morning as I post this, "chapter" 10 should be up by Monday or Tuesday night. Should. I promise nothing.)


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** To the guest reviewer who left the really long and really, really sweet review to chapter 9: Thank you so much! Your review was just what I needed on what turned out to be kind of a rough Saturday. I'm flattered beyond words that you think so highly of my writing, honestly, because this was my first _A&A_ fic and probably the first fanfic I've actually felt driven to finish as fast as I could, and I wasn't really expecting it to make much of a splash. At the moment, I'm just a nearly-broke late-teenaged college junior studying a STEM field and tearing her hair out because ALL THE MATH (I have a love-hate relationship with my field of study), so I have no plans to become a published writer…but, hey, who knows what could happen in the next ten years?

Anyway, I can't believe I've actually finished a multi-chap in about two months. I swear, _Austin & Ally_ has consumed my entire existence…

So…Here's the epilogue. I almost decided to scrap this and end the story as it was, but then I figured you guys deserved some fluff after all the angst and drama I put you through. I hope this was worth the wait.

**Warning**: Fluff. And a little innuendo. (They're 17, not 7, after all.) And then more fluff.

**No spoilers**. Usual disclaimer applies. I own nothing except the little snippet of lyrics containing "catch me before my heart slips away." And even then, "own" is kind of pushing it because it's not like I've copyrighted it or anything…

* * *

Ally woke up on Sunday morning, her senses flooded by Austin's scent after a particularly romantic dream involving the aforementioned boy and a sailboat ride into the sunset.

(Even though the sun sets in the west. So sailing into the sunset in Miami would technically involve running one's boat aground.)

"Ho hum, I _really_ need to return this jacket to him," she thought groggily, feeling around for the flaps to pull them more tightly around herself.

Then she felt her right arm pinned against something warm and solid and discovered that that same warm and heavy something was draped around her shoulders. She opened her eyes and realized that she was cuddling with Austin on the sofa in the practice room, herself cradled against him, legs draped across his lap with her head on his shoulder. (Was it clichéd to marvel at how perfectly they fit together?) Her free hand lay on his chest, the regular rise and fall of it, along with the steadiness of his heartbeat under her palm, reassuring her that he was, in fact, real as the little purplish mark on his neck that she had just discovered was millimeters from her now reddening face.

And then she was fully awake as the events of the previous night came rushing back—how they'd slow danced to a few more songs and then made out on the couch until they passed out from exhaustion—and she had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep from screaming with joy and possibly scaring Austin half to death.

She glanced in her lap and noticed that the little notification light on her phone was blinking.

_To: Ally  
From: Dad  
9:02 a.m.  
Hi, honey! Thought you might want to have this. Congrats!_

It was a photo of her and Austin snuggling, still fast asleep. Lester must have snapped it earlier that morning when he arrived to open Sonic Boom.

_Aww thanks, Dad._

Then she realized that it was nearly 11 a.m. She was probably needed downstairs in the store, and Austin was probably going to get mad at her for getting his favorite band shirt horribly wrinkled, and her stomach probably hated her for not eating anything since the one tortilla chip she'd snagged at Trish's last night…but she couldn't get off the couch without waking Austin, and she found that she really, really didn't want to do that, so she decided to stay put and just…observe him.

She could see now that there was another hickey on his neck in addition to the first, as well as one just above his collarbone. And she had no doubt he'd generously given her quite a few in return. After all, last night had been anything but innocent, as she recalled suddenly declaring that she was bored of slow dances before shoving him onto the couch. And then he'd stared at her for a moment with wide eyes as she moved to straddle his lap.

He'd responded _very_ enthusiastically after that, and some of the noises he made when she trailed kisses down his neck… Ally's blush deepened at the memory. She was pretty sure they would have gone all in and made for a _truly_ clichéd prom night, if it weren't for Austin having just enough sanity left to stop her before the clothing started flying off. And thank goodness he did. Her father evidently loved Austin, seeing as the hickeys were pretty noticeable and Austin was still alive, but Ally doubted he would have been quite as forgiving if they'd taken it past the next few levels…

So Austin had gently pushed her off of him. "I'm sorry, Ally. We can't—I mean, we don't have any—it's too—"

"It's okay. I think we both got carried away there for a minute."

"Cuddling?" He held out his arms.

"Cuddling is good."

And then, when he thought she was asleep, he brushed a lock of hair away from her face and murmured in her ear, "I've _always_ liked you, Ally. Never stopped."

_asdfjljeriglbklnsdfkj…_

She still couldn't quite believe that they were finally together again.

Well, okay, to be technical, they weren't _officially_ together just yet because they still hadn't had the DTR talk. But even if Austin were to express reluctance to immediately label themselves and risk another songwriting catastrophe, at least now she could dream about him without having to deal with any heartache or guilt afterwards. And that was just fine by Ally.

So she scooted a little closer to Austin and tucked her head under his chin, prompting him to grumble adorably in his sleep as the increased proximity caused his arms to go slack. He stirred slightly, then tightened his hold on her.

Yep. This was _much_ better than snuggling with his jacket.

* * *

"Austin," she giggled. "Come on, focus! We're supposed to be writing your song."

"But I like this much better," he pouted.

It was afternoon, and they were seated side-by-side at the piano bench, personal space pretty much nil, as he had his arm around her waist and was currently pressing kiss after kiss to her cheek.

"But we still have a lot of work to do. We've only gotten the verses down, and those lyrics still really, really need some work, and there's still half the chor—eep!"

Ally's protests died in a squeal when Austin suddenly tucked his free arm under her knees, hauling her into his arms and swinging her around to sit bridal-style across his lap as her startled hands immediately latched to his shoulders. And then he was just looking at her, a coy smile playing at his lips, and she was pretty sure her lungs forgot how to function, and she felt herself melting into a warm puddle of Ally-goo under the intensity of his gaze…

He'd been _very_ affectionate all day—and, don't get her wrong, it was something she could definitely get used to—but he hadn't kissed her on the lips since the previous night. Just a lot of tickle fights and long hugs and plenty of kisses on her cheek—but no lip contact. She was already melting; she felt like she was going to spontaneously combust; yet she _needed_ more heat in their kisses.

Then his gaze flickered down to her lips, and his hands found her shoulder blades as he slowly started to draw her in…

Was this it? Was she finally going to get a proper kiss? What was taking him so long?

She bounced impatiently. "Ooh, kiss me already!"

And then he pecked her cheek and pulled away, grinning. "Come on, Ally, focus! You shouldn't be kissing boys who aren't your boyfriend when we're supposed to be working on our song."

"Ugh, you're such a tease! I don't even know why I—wait. _Our_ song?"

He just winked at her and started playing the chords to the chorus.

"_La la la la la la la…  
Ally, we really need to write some actual lyrics for this part.  
Oh, wait, here comes the part that actually has lyrics now…  
something something something something  
…but it's just not the same.  
And I don't know why, but I've just dropped by to say,  
Hey, hey, eh-eh…  
Catch me, before my heart slips away._

"What do you think?"

She tried her best to keep a straight face and replied, "Well, aside from the fact that the first part wasn't exactly your best shot at lyrics…I think we should speed it up. Sad songs just don't really sound like you." She carefully climbed out of his lap to sit properly on the bench. "How does this sound instead?"

They worked for a while longer but stopped when their hands touched over the piano keys.

He looked at her sheepishly, the way he always did whenever this happened, and started to pull away, but she surprised them both by locking their pinkies together. It was hardly a bold move, considering they'd been cuddling and kissing (on the cheek, anyway) since he woke up, but relief still washed over Ally when he didn't pull his hand away. And one look into his eyes told her that he knew that she knew that he knew the significance of the gesture. She wasn't going to let him slip away again.

So she took a chance. "What you said earlier—that you're not my boyfriend… What exactly are we now?"

And then he looked away guiltily, all traces of his earlier mischievousness gone. "I'm sorry I confused you. It's just—you just broke up with Gavin, and I didn't think you'd want to rush into another relationship so soon. Besides, we're releasing your record next month, and if we announce we're together now, then all the press is going to be about our relationship, but I want it to be about _you_. And things didn't work out last time because we felt so pressured to be the perfect couple…" At her half-crushed, half-hopeful expression, he interlaced the rest of their fingers and added earnestly, "I meant everything I said last night. I want to be with you—I really do. You're the most important person in the world to me. But I also don't want to stop writing with you."

And then it hit her, just how much he must care, how scared he was to ruin what they already had.

"Austin." She cupped his cheek in her free hand, willing him to look her in the eye. "I can't guarantee that we'll be together forever this time around. But if we want this to work out, then I _know_ we can make it work." She didn't miss how he swallowed, hard, as she leaned in closer, eyes drifting shut… "Because it's me, and it's you. And I really, really want to be with you—Hey, those are pretty good lyrics!"

She whirled around to scribble them down in her songbook, giggling as he pouted at the missed opportunity.

_Who wants it now?_

"Anyway," she continued, "it just wouldn't be right to separate being with you and writing with you. Remember that line from 'Parachute'?"

He blinked, startled by the sudden change of subject, tilting his head like a confused puppy.

A confused puppy whose lips she wanted to devour.

(Not literally.)

So she turned back to the piano and sang it to him.

"_I know this love isn't gonna be perfect,  
the ups and downs are gonna be worth it…"_

She'd meant to sing only an excerpt, but the way he was looking at her was both terrifying and exhilarating. That gut feeling she'd discovered last night at prom (perhaps Miss Pennyworth, her childhood imaginary friend, finally back after an inexplicably long absence?) was now telling her that she and Austin were on the verge of something bigger, better, than anything she could ever imagine or begin to comprehend. So she kept singing, as if her life depended on it, unable to stop until the song was over.

He never looked away.

"_You always break my fall, my fall…  
Like a parachute…  
You're my parachute—" _

Austin kissed her full on the mouth before she could finish.

So, naturally, she closed her eyes and responded. (And, being Ally, she kept her head above the water long enough to play the last few notes on the piano anyway.)

And when he laughed into the kiss, she pulled him closer, kissed him back even harder, imploring him to understand.

Love was the unadulterated joy of being with someone, not the fear of losing that person.

Because he was as stuck on her as she was on him, and she couldn't if she tried.

* * *

**End note:** And that's a wrap, folks! Thank you all so much, whether you were a regular reviewer or a silent lurker or anything in between, for sticking through all the drama with me as I tackled my first multi-chap _A&A_ fic. I'm working on two other _A&A _stories at the moment. One's going to be a cute, fluffy one-shot, and the other one is still in the beginning stages of planning, so be on the lookout for the first one. Until then, I'd love to hear what you thought of this ending.

Oh, and may all your fashion shows be mustard- (and paint-) free and all your promposals non-tardy and publicly non-embarrassing.

Until next time,

P.V.


End file.
